


Little x Hunter x Academia

by Banaena



Category: Hunter X Hunter, Little Witch Academia
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Attempt at Humor, Diakko, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Nen (Hunter X Hunter), Slow Burn, Sorry for so many hxh references, Swearing, Watch hxh (2011) its amazing, based on anime, idk TAGS, some violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-25
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:00:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 25,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22893694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Banaena/pseuds/Banaena
Summary: Akko wants to become a Hunter, just like Chariot! She's been fighting through her entire life using her fists and following her heart, but will that be enough for her to overcome the challenges that await her? (spoiler: no)Join Akko as she forges irreplaceable relationships, discovers her hidden potential, and unfolds the truth about Chariot. Will she and her companions survive this precarious journey through a world of terrifyingly powerful opponents?Might have graphic violence and change tags in the future idk.(Update: sorry I made a few changes to the first chapter, but the storyline remains the same. i thought it was important to explain certain things about the hxh world. I'm such a terribly inconsistent writer asadkjsdfha)
Relationships: Diana Cavendish & Atsuko "Akko" Kagari, Diana Cavendish/Atsuko "Akko" Kagari
Comments: 32
Kudos: 80





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> \- I only watched the anime, so please do tell me if something seems off even if it is a detail from the manga. I like it when details stick to the canon, but I can’t promise I will change it if it doesn’t.
> 
> \- Currency in HxH is Jenny. 150 Jenny can buy a canned drink from a vending machine as shown in the anime.
> 
> \- For people who don’t know HxH - physical strength in HxH is absurd. Gon being only 12 years old has inhuman super strength and speed without the use of nen, so a lot of the character's strengths might also be over the top. Just for comparison, Akko is weaker than Gon, but faster than him.
> 
> \- Characters from the Green Team will only appear after the first arc. I will add more relationships and characters as I see fit, I’m kinda winging this.
> 
> \- Sorry if I’m not good with descriptions and my vocab sucks. This is my first fic so I’m happy to receive constructive criticism.

_"Fearsome monsters._

_Exotic creatures._

_Vast riches._

_Hidden treasures._

_Evil enclaves._

_Unexplored lands._

_The word "unknown" holds magic. Some incredible people are drawn to that magic._

_They are known as Hunters."_

* * *

“I’m going to do it. I’m going to be just like Chariot!”

Akko put on her red, battered, half finger gloves. She was preparing one of the biggest days of her life – the 296th Hunter Examination.

The Hunter Exam - the most prestigious exam held annually as only about one to two percent of applicants pass. Once they pass, they will receive a Hunter License that provides numerous benefits such as granting access to places out of bounds to regular people, free and luxurious transportation, and even reduced penalty for committing murder. Moreover, selling the license itself could support the seller's family for at least seven generations. But Akko wasn't doing this for any of these reasons.

“I know you can do it, sweetie.” Akko’s mother said adoringly as she cupped Akko’s face.

“You can do it if your name isn’t Atsuko Kagari!” Her husband chuckled, lightly slapping Akko’s back.

Akko could not hold back her smile if she tried, “I’ll come back right after I pass this so-called ‘hardest exam ever’.” She huffed out proudly, “But I’m really going to miss you both since I’ll be gone for about a month. I don’t know if I can sleep without hearing dad’s snore at night.”

The comment and sarcastic jab from Akko’s elbow earned her dad’s hearty laugh, “You’ll be fine! You’re 19 now, practically an adult! I’ll be right here to make sure your mom doesn’t get too lonely without you.” He smirked at his wife. Mrs. Kagari rolled her eyes but did not try to hide the curve of her lips.

Akko’s red eyes shined, partially due to tears forming in her eyes. Her dad is right, she is a grown-up. Nevertheless, it is never easy to be apart from her family for so long. The longest Akko has been away from her parents was 2 weeks when she jogged across the Republic of Podokea to reach Heaven’s Arena.

Heaven's Arena was commonly known to be the most popular, legal fighter's den in the world. As a child, little Atsuko Kagari would dream of entering and making it to the top. She fought through the first hundred and fifty levels easily without breaking a sweat. The staff in the arena even provided her a private room to stay after she reached the 150th floor, but she chose to go home as soon as she made enough money to pay off their debt. Though she would've loved to beat up more people for the thrill of it, it was simply too far from home. Every year she would go back, just to earn money so they wouldn’t have to scavenge through trash.

However, Akko knew she has to leave them one day too. The thought itself made Akko emotional.

“Aw sweetpea, don’t cry. Oh right, we wanted to give you this.” Her dad said as he started rummaging through his run-down closet.

After a while, he hands Akko a black windbreaker, which she accepted with her mouth gaped in disbelief, “It’s the windbreaker that you kept staring at when we walked around town. Your mom and I have been saving up just to buy this for you.” Both her parents smiled at her, “We hope you know how proud we are, even if you don’t pass the exam. Which, well, won’t happen anyway.” Her mom said with a grin.

The tears were prickling out now. “I-I… but our expenses… this is like 10,000 Jenny!” Akko cried. Luxury items were never an option when you struggle with finding food to eat every day and had loans to pay.

The couple took a second to look at each other knowingly. Her mother held Akko’s hands in hers, “you know you’re the reason we even have enough money for decent food every day. If we had successfully persuaded you not to leave the slums for Heaven’s Arena, I- I don’t even know if we could be sitting here right now, talking about-”

“Mom, don’t say that. You and dad work very hard at your jobs. I just happen to be good at kicking ass.” Akko smiled and blinked back the tears, not wanting to make the situation any more emotional. “Thank you… so much for this jacket. I promise I will come back with another smile on my face no matter what!” She pulled her family in for a bear hug and exclaimed. Her family reciprocated the hug, but it didn’t last long.

“Yosh!” Akko released her parents and shot back up. She then wore her windbreaker over her old white singlet and red sports shorts and grabbed her haversack. Followed by double-checking her ragged sports shoes once again – just to ensure there were no new holes this time.

“I’m off! If we keep going, I’ll never leave.” Akko laughed.

“We love you Akko! Don’t worry about us, okay?” Her dad exclaimed.

“I know, I know.” Akko sighed, “I love you guys too.”

* * *

Akko was on a plane en route to Yorknew City, where the upcoming Hunter Exam was taking place. Akko had never ridden an airplane before and was trying her best to control her bubbling excitement. Though she was pretty much vibrating with anticipation on the clothed plane seat. She even managed to get a window seat, through which she could view the air traffic control tower and planes of various sizes and designs.

“A window seat! Gosh, I can’t wait until we take off! Can you imagine being so high up that the people look like ants? My dad told me he took a plane once, so he kinda told me all about it. He took the old plane though, without the access to all these movies and games. I’ve never played a console game before! Aren’t you excited to go to Yorknew City too?” Akko said while beaming at the pale girl with long purplish hair sitting beside her. The girl was wearing a lab coat with goggles strapped to her forehead. Underneath the large coat was a simple white t-shirt and denim jeans. If it was even possible, she did not seem to notice Akko as she placed her large brown sling bag under her seat and began reading a book titled “Mycological Experiments”. The girl gave off an eerie aura, especially with her half-lidded eyes and abnormally pale skin. But Akko did not really seem to notice her eccentricity.

Akko gave a blank look, mouth agape before apologising, “Oh sorry! I didn’t mean to intrude on your reading. The name’s Atsuko Kagari by the way, but you can just call me Akko! I’m so excited about being here and going to Yorknew, I’ve never even left the country before! I mean, yeah once I ran up the mountains to find the creepy Zoldyck family’s gates because they said only the toughest people can push through them and, well, I overestimated myself and I got terrible muscle aches for the trying to push them all day. Well anyway, that was the closest to sightseeing that I’ve ever experienced and so I just-” While Akko was busy explaining her life story, the purple-haired girl heaved a sigh in annoyance. She pulled out a bottle of white liquid from her bag, popped it open, and casually poured it over Akko’s thigh.

“Hey!" AKko stared at the girl with an angry expression, "What the haaa-” in an instant, Akko could not talk properly and found it a bit harder to breathe. She looked down to find that the liquid on her leg had already dissolved completely. Or did it absorb into her skin that quickly?

“This.” The girl pointed at the bottle, “will partially paralyse your vocal cords so you can’t speak properly for a few hours. Or eat properly. So shut up.” She then continued reading her book, flipping a page as if nothing happened.

Akko was stunned, _“Wha- the nerve of her to do this to me! Wait, I can’t eat for a few hours?!”_

Akko was a bit hot-tempered, but her anger usually doesn't last very long. Moreover, there was only so much she could do to show that she was irked without using her voice. Without the option to vocalise her thoughts, she settled with crossing her arms and pouting for about two minutes before getting distracted by the plane taking off, and the games that she was anticipating to play during her flight.

After she recovered her voice, she dared not talk to her seatmate again.

* * *

The night fell. Flickering night lights in Zuban City made Akko’s eyes glimmer with elation. The plane makes a stop at Zuban City first, taking even more passengers. Now that Akko paid attention to her surroundings, a lot of the passengers looked quite intimidating – it wasn't an exaggeration to stereotype most of them as big and gruffly. Almost all had a missing body part, like an eye or something.

 _“These people must be here to take the Hunter Exam too.”_ Akko thought to herself. It was not like she was feared them. She could tell that most of them were just regular street thugs who lack real combat experience. Akko didn't have a shred of doubt that it would be a simple task for her to fight all of them and immerge victorious.

Except with her seatmate. Who knows what other godawful concoctions she hides in her bag? What if she wouldn’t be able to eat for the whole day next? Not worth the fight.

A few hours after the plane leaves the ground again, Akko’s short-lived nap was woken up by the sudden violent turbulence.

“Ahem, this is ye captain speaking.” A rough, low pitched voice came from the sound system. “So apparently there’s a huge ass storm since I decided to take the short-cut to Yorknew City. Well, this is actually also the first time I’ve ever ridden a plane. But I’ve been the captain of a ship for basically my whole life so it shouldn’t be a problem. There’s just so many useless buttons here...”

The majority of the passengers were now wide-eyed, with raised eyebrows in concern for their life. Mumbling turned to shouting by people enraged over what they heard. “What the hell?!”, “Let me speak to this bloody captain!” and “I don’t want to die!” were among the most common phrases that Akko could hear. Without warning, another violent movement caused the plane to shake up and down so hard that multiple people not wearing a seatbelt hit their heads and passed out.

“Ah shit, I think the lightning got a wing. Well anyway, this has been ye captain speaking. Have a safe flight.”

People left and right were frantic and unable to comprehend what just happened. Ever since the captain’s announcement ended, the air currents had become even more uneven, causing a majority of the passengers to were puking into bags from the air sickness. Some of them even fainted. Akko felt fine though, she’s been in worse situations. And her seatmate, who was still reading her book, didn’t even flinch. Akko would be lying if she said she wasn't worried about crash landing though.

“Are you okay?” She heard a soft-spoken voice in the front.

“Y-yes, thank you…” replied the voice of the male flight attendant, who served Akko peanuts earlier.

 _“Huh, so there’s someone else who can handle all this too.”_ Curiosity always bested Akko, she couldn’t help but jump out of her seat to find out who this particular person is.

It was a gingered haired girl, just slightly shorter than her. She was wearing a beige wool sweater and a light brown pencil skirt. Her round glasses, blue headband, and formal looking brown shoes gave her a nerdy vibe, but in a cute way.

The ginger noticed Akko, “Ah, sorry to bother you if you’re busy, but could you help me get a glass of water for this poor man?” she asked politely.

“Oh uh, of course! Be right back!” Akko replied hesitantly, but genuinely wanted to help. She went to the front of the plane to find the pantry before returning with a glass of warm water.

“Here! It’s a bit hot.” Akko handed the flight attendant the cup. The attendant merely nods in thanks, as if he would puke if he didn't restrict his head movements.

The orange-haired girl smiled, “Thank you. My name is Lotte, Lotte Yanson.”

Akko was overjoyed – her first friend outside of the country! “I’m Atsuko Kagari! But you can just call me Akko!”

Just as they finished their introductions, a round beer belly poked out of the door in front of them. The captain had stepped into the cabin. He looked around, shaking his head in disappointment, “Bah, another bunch of pathetic hunter wannabes.” He said, before adjusting his vision to find Akko, Lotte, and the purple-haired girl to be the only people unaffected.

“You three," he pointed at the girls, "Come with me.”

The three of them followed the captain into the cockpit. The place was quite filthy - beer bottles were strewn all over. Some of the buttons didn't seem to be lighting up due to the beer split over them, and there was even the smell of cigar smoke in the air.

“So, ye all want to be Hunters, is that correct?” The captain raised his eyebrow. He was a white-bearded man with an unusually red nose. The scent of alcohol wafting every time he spoke.

“Hai!” exclaimed Akko. “Y-yes,” Lotte replied shyly. The pale girl gave a hum of agreement.

“Hmm, so what would you say is the reason ye want to become a Hunter?” inquired the captain.

“I want to be like Shiny Chariot! She helped so many people being a Hunter, and I want to be just like her!” Akko shouted, heart swelling with pride for her idol.

“Chariot, huh? Well, I can’t really comment much since she is a controversial figure within the Hunter Association.” The captain scratched his beard, “but I can’t say no to a Hunter who wants to help others. What about you two?”

“Um, sorry to be rude but, is it safe to leave the plane on autopilot in this storm?” Lotte’s brows knitted in concern.

“Yes, yes it is.”

“Oh, okay. Um, I want to be a Hunter to make enough money. I need money to pay for my dad’s medical treatment.” Lotte muttered sadly.

“Fair response. And you?”

“See no point in answering your question.” The last girl responded, expressionless.

“Oh, are ye sure? Fine then, you fail. You two, ye passed the preliminary round of Hunter Examination.”

The purple-haired girl scowled, “What? This is part of the test too? How the hell am I supposed to know that?”

The captain crossed his arms and shrugged, “The Hunter Association needs people like me to get rid of small fry and Hunters with bad intentions. If not, an overwhelming number of people will be taking the exam every year.”

Akko couldn’t help herself from interfering, “Wait! Give her a chance! Maybe she doesn’t want to say because it’s personal. Mom always told me to be considerate of why people wouldn’t want to say certain things." She leans closer and even places a hand on the girl's shoulder, "It’s not something you like to talk about, is it?”

The girl instinctively shrugs off her hand and takes an uncomfortable step back. Her face was mixed between an annoyed and perplexed look – why would this girl help her after she had just semi-paralysed her vocal folds? Then she let out a heavy sigh, “Fine, I want to be a Hunter so that I can study the Forbidden Mushroom. Does that answer satisfy you?”

She turns to the right to prevent making eye contact as she bites down her lips. The captain squinted his eyes at her, clearly not believing her reason. However, he decided to brush it off, “Alright fine, was that so hard for ye? I’ll give you a chance since I see potential in ye.”

Initially, the purple-haired girl refused to look his direction or reply, but she eventually clicks her tongue and mumbles softly, “Thank you…”

The captain smiled widely, “Aye. Well, you girls better sit tight and fasten yer seatbelts. This is gonna be one helluva landing.”

The girls nodded and did as they were told. Akko was happy to help the girl, but she didn’t understand why she wanted to help. Perhaps she was guilty about annoying her. But could she really forgive her when she did not get to talk or eat for a few hours? Maybe it was because the girl seemed a bit lonely? Akko pondered while walking back to her seat. As Akko sat down, the pale girl muttered something under her breath, “It’s Sucy.”

“Huh?” Akko said a bit too loudly in the quiet cabin.

The girl winced at the volume of Akko’s voice, “My name is Sucy. Sucy Manbavaran.”

Whatever it was, Akko was now very glad she helped Sucy and gave Sucy a goofy smile that could make anyone’s day. “I’m Atsuko Kagari! But you can call me Akko!”

Sucy winced again – how is it possible to have such an annoyingly loud voice?

“Yeah, I know that.”


	2. Chapter 2

The airplane landing was similar to how a roller coaster ride feels after the first fall, and Akko is very familiar with that feeling after sneaking into the amusement park a few times. She found it exhilarating. For Lotte, it felt much more terrifying. Following the roller coaster analogy, it was as if Lotte knew she had gone on the life-threatening ride at her own risk. Sucy doesn’t care.

Finally, after hours of flying, they arrived at Yorknew City – the capital of the United States of Saherta. Akko and her new found friends left the plane and stepped into the airport, only to be halted by the captain.

“Hold on there, girl. Now, I don’t usually give examiners clues to the exam location, but you remind me of a boy I used to know.” He rubbed his bushy chin wistfully, “So here’s ye hint: you want to leave Yorknew City and head to the north of United States of Saherta. You can do that by going through the Gordeau Desert first. So, whatever you do, always head in this direction.” The captain said as he pointed towards a wall.

Akko was a little disappointed, she thought she could experience city life at least for a while. Nonetheless, she was grateful for the advice, “Thank you, sir!”

“Don’t mention it.” He chuckled, “now get outta here!”

Walking out of the airport was a modern picturesque view. The city in the morning was not how Akko pictured it to be at all – it was even better. Numerous tall buildings were densely packed together. To Akko, it was a sight to behold – flashy signs, modern cafes, cute shops, amazing smelling bakeries and…

“So. Much. Food.” Akko was practically salivating onto the floor. This was nothing like the slums in the Republic of Padokea, or even the nearby town.

“Didn’t the flight we take just serve breakfast?” Lotte asked Sucy rhetorically, trying to make conversation.

“Dunno.” Sucy gave a nonchalant answer, “Anyway, I’m going now. Bye.”

Akko was surprised at how her new “friend” was already going to leave her. I mean, they were friends now, right? “Wait, Sucy!” She blurted, “Don’t you think it’s more fun to stick together? We’re headed in the same direction either way.”

Sucy seemed skeptical of Akko’s reason, “More fun, you say? Right, I’m sure being with you is tons of fun.” She said sarcastically and rolled her eyes.

“Hey! What do you mean by tha-”

“But I suppose you do have a point, about heading in the same direction. And it would be a bother to take a longer way just to avoid you two.” Sucy mentioned, a little softer than she intended.

Akko and Lotte shot her a smile at the same time, “Yosh! Come on! Let’s go _after_ I buy some of this amaaazing smelling bread.” Akko insisted and pretty much skipped towards the source of the alluring smell. Once Akko saw the prices though, her heart dropped.

 _“Damn, what the hell? 500 Jenny for fancy bread? This is daylight robbery!”_ Akko thought to herself.

“Akko, what’s wrong?” Lotte asked, face creased with worry.

Akko took a moment to formulate a response, “Oh, I just realised I’m not hungry anymore! Must’ve been the sugar from the apple juice from earlier kicking in. Ahaha-”

 _“Groowlll.”_ Unfortunately, her stomach betrayed her.

 _Damn you, stomach._ Akko sighed. She knows she just ate, but she’s still a growing girl after all. Never deprive a growing girl of food, is what her mother used to say. But that airplane flight was seriously expensive and costed her entire life savings. Fancy bread would have to wait another time when she’s become a fancy Hunter. Nothing in this world is free, another thing that her mother would say if she was here. Additionally, she’s fasted for days due to the lack of food before. She’d be totally fine.

“Here, Akko. I bought you some while you were spacing out.” Lotte handed Akko a plastic bag of bread she wanted.

Akko was at a loss for words, she looked like she could cry, “F-for me? Really?” she sniffled.

Lotte gave her a gentle smile, “Yup, you deserve it. You can keep it for later if you’re not hungry. E-Eep!” Lotte got crushed in Akko’s bear hug.

“Oh Lotte, you’re an angel. Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Akko squeezed even tighter.

“U-Um, no problem! P-please let me go now.” Lotte said meekly as she readjusted her spectacles.

“Ah, oh right.” Akko awkwardly releases Lotte.

“If you two are done “buying bread”, can we leave now?” Sucy dead-panned.

“Alright! Onward to Gordeau Desert!” Akko declared, shoving her hand into the bag of bread.

* * *

The journey through the desert was a perilous one. Lotte was getting tired. She had no idea how Sucy and Akko could keep up their pace without stopping. They had walking for nearly 10 hours, and it was getting cold.

“H-hey, are you guys…” Lotte stopped to gasp for breath, “sure that this is the right way?”

Akko cocked her head to the side, “The captain pointed to this direction, I’m sure of it. Come on, Lotte. Don’t give up now!”

Hearing those words, Lotte willed herself to stand up properly, “A-alright, I’ll do my best.”

“That’s the spirit! We’re almost there! I think. Do you want some bread? I still have- Ow!” Akko rammed into Sucy.

“Be quiet, something’s not right,” Sucy said.

Sucy was right. They all felt a change in the atmosphere. It’s subtle but ominous, and not far from here.

“There! There’s smoke up in front!” Akko yelled.

Quickly, the trio sped up their pace and headed towards the source of the smoke. And what they saw was a horrifying massacre. Six male desert campers wearing patterned tunics were brutally murdered. Some with their limbs chopped off, others with stab wounds. The tents were splattered with blood.

“W-who… who could’ve done such a horrible thing?” Lotte sounded like she was about to cry.

“Lizard beasts, Tokago. These weapons are used by them.” Sucy’s voice didn’t even waver when she held a bloody two-sided blade with an unusual pattern.

“H-help…” one of the desert campers started speaking.

Akko rushed to his side immediately, “It’s okay. We’re here to help. Please, tell us what happened.”

“My… my son… taken… please help…” was all he could muster.

Lotte immediately tore off part of her long skirt to put pressure onto his stab wound on his abdomen. “You guys go and get his son, I’ll help him. I know basic first aid.” Lotte suggested.

Akko and Sucy gave her a nod in agreement. “Come on Sucy, I see the tracks.”

The duo ran to where the tracks were leading and soon saw quick shadows moving around in the darkness.

“There they are. While not the smartest, Tokagos are extremely fast magical beasts. They can also create realistic illusions and have incredible healing ability. It would probably be a miracle if we even manage to catch up to them.” Sucy said grimly.

“Hah, fast? You’re talking to the connoisseur of speed.” Akko replied smugly.

“That’s not how you use the word connois-”

“They’re close!” Akko sped up and began running at an incredible speed, leaving Sucy lagging behind.

“Crap, I need to be smart about this. I can’t rely on my speed.” Sucy started to study how the silhouettes of the creature moved, and then she readied her potions.

* * *

Akko was slowly advancing closer to the Tokago, before they suddenly stop moving and turned to face her. The surprise almost caused Akko to lose her footing as she had to stop abruptly.

“Mhmm, ehehehe, you fast.” The lizard beast licked its face with their incredibly long and slick tongue. Their eyes were bulging out and their body looks exactly like a regular lizard, except they could stand on two legs. “Are you looking for child?” in their arms was a boy no more than 12 years old, his mouth taped up. The kid was mumbling something unintelligible.

“Let him go, now! Or you’ll regret it.” Akko grinded her teeth in anger.

“Ooo, scary eyes.” The beast made a cackling sound, “But can you keep up with all of us?”

Suddenly, a bunch of Tokagos came out of nowhere and surrounded Akko.

“Now, what will you do?" He flicked his tongue to mock her, "Ehehehehe, I bet you cannot tell the difference after we all- AHHH!” The Tokago screeched as acid burned his back. The illusion of the other Tokagos started to disappear one by one.

“Dumb lizard walking in patterns. Ever heard of a straight line?” Sucy ridiculed as she kept her bottle back in her bag.

“Sucy!” Akko had never been happier to hear Sucy’s taunts.

“Geh! Fine have your child!” The creature said as he tossed the kid high up into the air and ran away from the scene. The child screamed through the tape as the sound of the lizard’s footsteps faded away.

“Well fuck, that’s high. Don’t worry I got this! Go chase after that damn reptile.” Sucy spat and she grabs another bottle from her bag.

“Alright!” Akko once again ran through the sand at breakneck speed.

Sucy pops open another bottle and tossed a potion onto the sand, “Please work.”

Just a second after, a huge puffball the size of an elephant grew from the ground. The child landed with a “poof”, sinking into the puffball like it was memory foam. Sucy casually walks over to him and ripped out the tape from his mouth, “Ow, that hurts!”

“You should be grateful for being able to be my first guinea pig, for my latest potion that is.” Sucy gave him an unsettling smirk.

* * *

“Almost there”

Akko didn’t think it would be difficult to capture the beast, since she was slightly faster than them. However, what she didn’t expect, was for him to start creating clones of himself again. She underestimated his speed – once the lizard started shuffling their positions, she could no longer ascertain which was the real Tokago. The burn from Sucy’s poison had already healed.

“Damn it, how am I supposed to- wait a minute.”

It was faint, but she could see a bit of scarring from the burn. Regular people would not be able to tell, but she was trained to find the weak spots of her opponents when fights broke out in the slums. Years of fighting for her life has taught her a lot.

There was no way she could have missed it. And since the Tokago didn't see his back, he can't replicate the scar.

With deep breath, Akko pushed herself to her speed limit and charged at the beast.

“HAAAAAA!” Akko yelled as she closes up the gap between them. The lizard barely had time to turn and assess the situation before being pummelled to the ground. Startled, the creature shrieked when Akko started to punch his face relentlessly.

“This.” _Right hook._

“Is.” _Left to the jaw._

“For.” _Uppercut_ .

“Murdering” _Left hook again._

“Innocent.” _Throw punch._

“PEOPLEEEE!”

“WAIT! WAIT STOP! T-this is test! Not real! Not real!” the beat-up lizard tried to talk sense into the furious Akko. His scaly, tough skin managed to bleed red and bruise purple around his face.

“Ahaha, good one. You think I believe you? COWARD!” Akko was just about to give them another punch when she heard Lotte’s voice.

“Akko, stop! He’s telling the truth!” Lotte pleaded.

Akko turned around to look at Lotte in surprise, then faced the Tokago again, then repeated her back-and-forth head turns a few more times before Lotte’s words finally kick in.

“This isn’t one of your illusions, is it?”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A wild Diana appears

“Seriously? I was really upset when I saw the people ripped to shreds and you’re telling me it was an illusion?” Akko puffed out her cheeks in exasperation.

“Ah yes, sorry about that. But it was part of the Hunter Exam, and you all passed!” The previously “injured” desert camper, named Kima, rejoiced. The young boy also tried to lighten the mood by giving a wide grin.

The trio didn’t look too happy about it. If Sucy even expresses happiness. The glum mood had filled the campsite with silence. Nothing but the flickering of fire providing white noise.

“Ahem, I make it up to all of you. You three ride on my back and I bring you to Hunter Exam place. Okay?” The Tokago, Tiko, compromised with them.

Lotte’s eyes lit up, “Eh?! Really? You’ll give us a ride? Oh, thank goodness…”

Akko was puzzled about Lotte’s relief. They could get there on foot perfectly fine, but she didn’t want to ruin Lotte’s joy. Instead of questioning Lotte, Akko felt the need to apologise to Tiko, “I’m really sorry about the punches I threw at you, Tiko.”

“And the acid.” Sucy said with a straight face.

Tiko swatted his reptilian hand around lightly to express that he was alright, “I heal fast. But you very fast.” And gave a thumbs up to Akko.

A tinge of pink appeared on Akko’s cheek as she scratched the back of her head with her arm, “Aw, thanks! It means a lot coming from one of the fastest known creatures of the desert.” The gloomy atmosphere started to dissipate. Akko really couldn’t get upset for more than 5 minutes.

Akko, riled up from the compliment, unexpectedly stood up, “Yosh! Let’s go to the Hunter Exam right now!” she directed towards her companions.

“N-now?” Lotte asked hesitantly.

“Heck yeah! We’ve got a free ride anyway. Isn’t that right, Toki?”

Toki gave a creepy reptilian smile. He took out a long rope from a tent and hung it around his body, before positioning himself on 4 legs, “Hop on.”

* * *

Despite Toki’s exceptionally fast speed, Akko fell asleep face down on Toki’s back during the entire journey. She was lying in the front, while Lotte was sandwiched between Sucy and Akko.

Lotte was bewildered by Akko’s ability to sleep in such an unorthodox position, “I wonder how she’s able to sleep while holding on. I’m already struggling with grabbing on to this rope without losing balance.”

Sucy shrugged, “I bet this idiot can sleep anywhere if she wanted to.”

Sucy didn’t expect Lotte to laugh, “That was kind of mean, but you’re probably not wrong.”

“About her being an idiot?” Sucy curled her lips.

“N-no! The part where she could sleep anywhere. I don’t think Akko’s an idiot at all.” Lotte heaved a sigh.

“I know, I know. I was just messing with you.” She teased.

There was a moment of awkward silence after her comment. _“Did I go too far?”_ Sucy thought. Lotte seemed like the kind of person who would take jokes too seriously. _“Perhaps I should apologise.”_

“I just think that Akko is a bit reckless, is all. I mean that kind of coincides with stupidity, but I didn’t mean that she’s a dumbass.” Sucy bit back her lips right after the words came out.

_“God, I should slap myself for even saying anything. Why the hell didn’t you just say “sorry, my bad” or something?! You’re the dumbass here.”_

Lotte didn’t reply to her for a while, but then turned back to face Sucy with a gentle smile, “Don’t worry, I know you don’t really mean what you say.”

She paused again and faced in front before continuing, “You’re a kind person.”

Sucy felt uncomfortable with the way Lotte said that so confidently. She didn’t dare to even look at Lotte, for she fears she might say something that will make her look even more of a fool. Or even worse: open up about her feelings. Gross.

“The sunrise is really pretty,” Lotte said to no one in particular. The rosy, gradual rise of the morning sun felt warm on Sucy’s skin. Perhaps she was experiencing warmth regarding another aspect too – just the thought of it made Sucy’s stomach turn, knowing it was something else entirely.

With impeccable timing, fortunately for Sucy, the location of the Hunter Exam was within sight.

“We close,” Toki commented, somehow waking up Akko.

“W-w-wha?” Akko sat upright groggily. Oblivious to the exchange her new friends just had. She rubbed her eyelids and yawned to combat the urge to fall back to sleep, though it wasn’t necessary once she looked at the village in front of them – which seemed to be inching closer and closer every time she blinked.

“Wooaaahhh,” Akko said with her mouth wide open, “a desert village!”

“This is furthest I take you.” Stated Toki as he slowed down to stop, “I bid you adieu.”

“A dew?” words are confusing for Akko, but she didn’t care enough to ask what he meant, “thank you so much for the ride Toki! I’ll visit you in the future!” Akko promised while the trio dismounted Toki.

“Yeah, thanks Toki!” Lotte thanked him as she patted his back.

“Thanks, I guess.” Sucy gave her most enthusiastic gratitude yet.

If lizards could blush, Toki would currently be a blushing lizard. He looked away and acted bashfully, “I wish you all the best.”

Right after, he slithered away.

* * *

“This place looks sketchy,” Sucy said apprehensively.

It was a quaint village, a rather large one at that. There were many merchant stores selling various fruits, vegetables, and dairy products. Some camels could be seen grazing on some hay and seed mix in a small stable. Numerous stone buildings were scattered around the village - as if they just built houses wherever they pleased. None of the buildings seem to be higher than 4 metres tall. They had all kinds of shops, ranging from selling colorful desert outfits to weird, grotesque paintings and clay models. There was nothing out of the ordinary for a village in a desert, but one issue.

Lotte felt a chill run down her spine, “Where is everyone?”

The desert was completely desolated.

Akko hummed while making a comical thinking-face and scratching her chin, “Hmmmmmmmmmm. Hmmmmmmmmmmm...” Then, she picked up a broccoli from a stand and sniffed it.

“Akko, what on earth are you doing? Are you going to start kissing a banana next?” Sucy ridiculed Akko.

“Sulfur.” Akko muttered.

“What.”

“Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli contain higher levels of sulphuric compound than most vegetables. When broccoli decays, the hydrogen ions in the water and the sulfur compounds react to form low levels of hydrogen sulfide gas, making the broccoli smell bad.” Akko articulated without a pause.

Lotte and Sucy were at a loss for words.

“And broccoli turns bad really fast.” She continued.

Sucy shook her head as if to get out of a trance, “Yes, yes, I know that. I study botany. How did _you_ know that?”

Akko smiled sheepishly, “Ahaha, well my mom studied plants when she was younger. She taught me a bunch of stuff about plant science. Mama always said that I should learn about why things happen instead of-”

“Yeah yeah. I asked _how_ you know, not your entire life story.” Sucy rolled her eyes.

_“And why would they sell broccoli in the desert anyway?”_

“A-anyway, does that mean the broccoli has been here for a while now?” Lotte questioned.

Akko pursed her lips, “Not at all. This broccoli is fresh.”

“So, something happened recently that caused the people to evacuate?” Lotte guessed.

“YOU GOTTA BE FUCKING KIDDING ME!” the trio heard a loud man’s voice echo from further within the village and instantly dashed through the sandy roads.

They ran across 2 dozen houses or so until they found themselves at the other end of the village. In front of them was a ginormous stone building, and they were facing an uneven stone door. The opposite side seemed to be filled with chatter – or furious ranting.

With a push, the noise level elevated tenfold.

“WHAT IS THIS STUPID QUESTION?! DO YOU THINK IT’S IMPORTANT TO DO THIS TO SUCCEED AS A HUNTER?! EHHHHHH???” A bulky, bald, muscular man wearing nothing but boxing trunks was shoving his face in front of a stubby man with glasses. The stocky individual had short black hair. He was dressed in formal pants and a green suit. The ratio of his size in comparison to the built man was unbelievably large.

“I would rather you not spit in my face, thank you very much.” The short man replied curtly in a nasally voice.

The place looked like a theatre of sorts – there were no seats, only a stage with a visualizer and red curtains covering the back of the stage. The place was dimly lit. Grey walls appeared worn down and there seemed to be no source of light from the outside illuminating the place. It was an incredibly spacious room filled with roughly 400 people of different ages, shapes, and sizes. But only the 2 of them were on the stage, bickering.

Akko and her companions walked down the stairs, hoping to find anyone who could explain the situation to them.

“Excuse me, sir?” Akko tapped the shoulder of a chubby middle-aged man in a v-neck tunic, “could you tell us what is happening?”

The man turned around, his face scrunched up at first, but then gave Akko a friendly smile, “Oh, hey there kiddo! Sigh, well apparently this is the last preliminary phase of the Hunter Exam. See that short guy?”

He pointed at the suited man on the stage and scorned, “He’s an examiner. It seems like he recently joined the Hunter Association after he became a… two-star Math Hunter. He gave a question that no one seems to know the answer to, so I guess they’ll be no Hunter Exam this year.”

Akko was appalled, “What?! No! I didn’t come all the way here and fail before I even started!” she replied with determination, “What is this dumb question anyway?”

The man simply pointed at the visualizer screen.

“Two 50m poles etched to the ground are x distance away from each other. An 80m string tied to the top of both poles and hanging loosely. The distance between the loose string and the ground is 10m. What is x?” Lotte read out the projection.

“What the heck?” Akko widened her eyes, “A math question?”

“This should be easy for me, hold on.” Sucy took out a notepad and started to pen down some equations. After a moment, she pauses and stares blankly at the paper.

“Sucy, what’s wrong?” Lotte inquired.

“It’s unsolvable.”

“Huh?” Akko raised a brow.

“There is no answer,” Sucy replied as she showed what she wrote to the girls.

_((40 + a) 2/a2 )– (40/a)2 = 1_

“I don’t understand this.”

“Neither do I. It doesn’t have an answer.”

“Huh.”

The two on stage were still arguing about the question, until the examiner finally raises his voice, “Enough! This isn’t even a math question! This is not the Riemann Hypothesis or something that requires a fractional complex transform. You’re simply a numbskull with muscles for brains!” He spat, infuriating the bald man further, “There are about 400 functional minds here. If none of you can solve it, there will be no Hunter Exam taking place!”

“And if one of us solves it?” A feminine voice appeared in the crowd.

The mass of people parted like the red sea, revealing a tall woman with short, lavender waves for hair. Her teal eyes coupled with a confident stance gave her a charismatic aura. She had a brown saddlebag around her waist and wore brown trousers and a white collared shirt. Her brown high heeled boots matched her outfit.

“Then all of you can enter.” The examiner replied.

“Psh, no fun.” She sneered.

The short-tempered muscular man stomped towards the stranger, towering over her and cracking his knuckles, “You. If you know the answer, just spit it out now - before someone gets hurt.”

The lady laughed mockingly, “Oh? And who exactly is going to get hurt?”

Unable to contain his rage any longer, he clenched his fist. Everyone knew what was about to unfold, but no one dared to intervene except…

“NO! STOP!” Akko cried out.

It was too late. The man flat out punched the woman. The sudden violence made Akko flinch and instinctively put her hands, covering her eyes upon impact. Though she could still see blood splattering on the floor and heard a very disturbing “squish” sound.

Akko was afraid. Afraid and guilty for being unable to prevent the death of a woman who didn’t do anything wrong. Violence was normal in Akko’s everyday life, but that doesn’t mean she ever got used to it. Slowly, she willed herself to look at what had transpired. Only to find the lady still standing in the same position, unharmed. And a lifeless, headless body pouring blood endlessly onto the cold floor.

“EEEEP!” Multiple people near the scene gasped and jumped back in shock, red painted over their faces and clothes. Somehow, a small group of people surrounding the body didn’t seem to care about what happened.

Akko turned pale, “W-what, how did she-”

“Ah crud, this was my favourite white shirt!” The woman groaned.

“You! How dare you commit murder during this crucial test? Who’s going to clean up the body?!” The examiner’s face was flush red.

 _“Does he not care that someone just died?”_ Akko thought, still trying to process the turn of events.

“What? Are you kidding me? He was annoying and tried to punch me!” The woman swung her hand dramatically.

“Disqualified! Disqualified, I say!” He roared.

“Fine, I didn’t need the stupid license anyway. I have other ways to get what I want.” She claimed before marching to the theatre entrance.

“Good luck with the bloody question.” She laughed. Right before she left, however, she stopped to stare back at something, or someone, in the crowd.

Finally, she clicked her tongue and turned away.

 _“That was… a little traumatising.”_ Akko still didn’t understand how the lady managed to make his entire head explode.

“Boy, of the 44 years of attending the Hunter Exam, I’ve never experienced something as dramatic as that in the beginning.” The middle-aged man scratched his head.

“Ehhh?! 44 years? Really?” Akko was bewildered by the insane number, instantly forgetting about the incident.

 _“That’s like, more than twice my age!”_ Akko placed her hands on her head in disbelief, _“Is the exam that difficult?”_

She didn’t want to Math anymore, but how else was she supposed to pass? Even Sucy didn’t know and Akko could tell that Sucy was “a genius or something”.

“Ahem.” Another feminine voice came from the chatter in the crowd. This time, the mysterious person raised her hand politely. Everyone parted again simultaneously.

Akko was trying to get a good view of whoever was speaking. It was tough being short in comparison to the crowd, but she was too curious for her own good. Akko squeezed her way through to get a closer look, but it was unnecessary as the girl walked towards the stage on her own.

“Woah.” She said, mentally berating herself for saying that out loud. She couldn’t help herself. She was just so… so…

Akko gulped hard to get rid of the lump in her throat she didn’t realise she had. And let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding.

The stranger was a slightly taller girl. Blonde, wavy hair with green tea highlights. She was wearing cargo pants with a simple black singlet, showing off her toned arms. She had a rather pale complexion, which greatly matched her-

“Sparkling ocean eyes…” Akko said dreamily.

Sucy gave Akko a scrunched up face of confusion and disgust.

“If I may, I believe the answer is zero.” The girl answered calmly.

“That… That is absolutely correct! Amazing job! Absolutely brilliant!” The examiner clapped excitedly.

Cheers from the crowd echoed across the entire theatre. Sucy was not happy at all, “Gah! Of course! It was a trick question!”

 _“Wow, this girl is pretty **and** smart.” _Akko was undeniably fixated.

“Now, now, settle down. You’re all acting as if you’ve already received your license.” With a roll of the examiner’s eyes, everyone started keeping quiet.

The air was suddenly tense.

“Do you now see the joy of solving a problem? Well, no matter. I suppose it is time to recite the “word of caution”.” He said whilst clearing his throat.

“What you’re about the experience is no easy feat. If you lack luck, or ability, there is a very high percentage of serious injuries and even death. According to my calculations, I believe about 54.3% of you will die. If you wish to leave after hearing my incredible deduction, you may do so now.” He paused, seemingly expecting people to back out last minute.

No one moved.

“Very well then, grab a number tag and make sure it is visible at all times. Losing it also means disqualification.” He pointed to a large basket beside him filled with white, circular number tags.

The thick red curtains at the back of the stage were being drawn to the side. The light from the other side was glaring.

Akko could feel the adrenaline pumping through her veins.

“Without further ado, let the 296th Hunter Examination… begin!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Toki is best boy  
> \- Big thanks to quora dude for teaching me about broccoli  
> \- Some of you might’ve already known, but that question is famously known as the Amazon’s Hanging Cable question


	4. Chapter 4

The curtains drawn revealed the outside – they were right beside the sea the entire time. From the inside, they could observe a plethora of trees and bamboo swaying weakly along the sandy shore. The gentle ocean waves sparkling under the daylight. The scene could be described as a beautiful summer day at the beach – except there were over 400 examinees stomping barbarically to the basket to get their hands on a number tag.

“W-wait, wait!” The stubby examiner commanded, making everyone stop abruptly.

“Please, do this in a more civilised manner. Queue up and distribute them or something!” He smacked his hand on his forehead in disappointment. “Oh, I almost forgot.” He went to the side of the stage to grab another basket. This time it was full of steel-rimmed compasses, “Take one of these too.”

Thus, they did as they were instructed. People started to distribute the objects just to speed up the process. The man in the V-neck tunic helped Akko and her companions to get the required items, “Here, friends.” He gave them numbers 246, 247 and 248, while he put on the tag number 245. “The name’s Tonpa, by the way.” Finally, he hands them the compasses.

Akko was so glad she encountered many friendly individuals. She must be really fortunate, “Thanks, Tonpa! I’m Akko, and these are my friends Lotte and Sucy!” Akko introduced her companions as she pinned #246 to her windbreaker.

“Hello!” Lotte gave a grin, receiving tag number 247.

“Hmph.” Sucy eyed him curiously as she took the 248th badge.

“What’s wrong? Can’t a guy make some friends here?” Tonpa laughed heartily.

“Not when they had to repeat the exam 44 times.” Sucy deadpanned.

“Sucy! That’s rude!” Akko scolded. Sucy simply shrugged.

“It’s fine, I think having repeated the test so many times has humbled me to improve every year.” He explained with a pensive expression.

“Tonpa…” Akko made a small smile, “You’re such an inspiration! Don’t worry, we’ll all pass this exam together!”

“Heh, thanks. As a toast to our friendship, how about some juice?” He said as he retrieved some canned drinks from his bag.

“Wow, free drinks! You really are the best!” Akko instantly snatched the drink out of his hand and popped it open. She was about to jug the entire can down before someone else stopped her.

“I wouldn’t drink that if I were you.” A familiar accent appeared. It was the blonde girl who answered the question. She was wearing the tag numbered 1, which made sense since she was on the stage closest to the baskets. There were another two girls beside her crossing their arms – a redhead with a ponytail and a girl with long blue hair with tags number 2 and 3 respectively.

Akko instinctively crushed the can at the sight of her, juice overflowing from her hand, _“I-is she talking to me?! Wow, she’s even prettier up close... Dammit, Akko! Not the time to be making heart-eyes at an attractive girl.”_

Akko had to blink about five times before she snapped out of her stupor, “What do you mean? Tonpa’s a nice guy!”

“That’s how he appears to newcomers,” The blonde said with an unreadable face, “He’s a rookie crusher, that’s why he never passes – he has no interest in passing.”

“Hey! Don’t spout nonsense. This girl doesn’t know what she’s talking about, Akko.” Tonpa tried to assure her.

Akko was conflicted between who to trust. On one hand, Tonpa seemed like a nice guy. On the other, the blonde was being _very_ persuasive. She turned to her friends hoping for advice, only to receive equally skeptical expressions.

But it wouldn’t kill her to _not_ drink some juice.

“Sorry, Tonpa. It’s not that I don’t trust you.” Akko affirmed, wary of his reaction, “but I think I’ll pass on the juice. I crushed mine anyway.”

Tonpa smiled, “Hey, it’s no big deal. I’ll catch up with you guys later, okay?” He told the trio as he walked away.

“Good call,” The blonde commented with the same poker face before turning away with the other two girls.

“Wait!” Akko reached out her hand. However, when the group decided to face her again, Akko pulled back and felt tongue-tied.

“I… uh…” she swallowed took a second to process her thoughts, “Thank you, I think. For warning me- I mean, us.”

The blonde stared coldly into Akko’s red eyes, “Sure,” she replied, finally leaving them alone.

* * *

“Why did you help her, Diana? You could’ve gotten rid of some competition!” The redhead exclaimed. She was dressed in denim shorts and a grey, long-sleeved crop top. There was a belt knife holder around her waist which carried two knives, one on each side.

“I simply do not like seeing people fail unfairly, Hannah,” Diana answered calmly, which was mostly true. There was another reason she felt inclined to help the brunette, though she would prefer to not verbalise those thoughts.

“We should’ve just left her be.” Their blue-haired friend clicked her tongue. She wore ripped jeans with a character shirt and a baby pink cardigan. A black sling bag resting on her left shoulder. “She looked weak and poor anyway. We would’ve been doing her a favour by not getting herself killed.” Hannah nodded in agreement.

Diana was annoyed over what she just heard, “Barbara, I don’t believe you’ve met her before, neither do you know what she’s capable of. You too, Hannah. I would rather you both refrain from making such insults towards others before you become the ones who underestimate your opponents and lose.” She spoke sharply.

The two girls gulped and hunched their backs in shame.

“You’re right,” Barbara’s lips thinned to a line.

“Sorry,” Hannah apologised.

“Well, well, if it isn’t Diana and her side bitches.” A girl with dirty blonde hair appeared behind them sneered.

“Chloé,” Diana acknowledged, unimpressed.

“Didn’t you like, fail last year? Why do you even bother trying again?” Hannah snickered, earning a laugh from Barbara.

Chloé turned red and grit her teeth, “Hey! Only one in every ten thousand beginner applicants even makes it to the Hunter Exam!”

“Yeah, but I heard that you failed at the beginning because you drank Tonpa’s laxative filled juice. Pffftt.” Barbara said and didn’t even try to hide her laughter.

“Did you soil your pants during the first trial?” Hannah added insult to injury, hold her abdomen and howling in laughter with Barbara.

“W-what?! Who told you that?!” Chloé was now red due to an entirely different reason.

“Oh, our lips are sealed,” Hannah replied, still chuckling. Diana simply sighed at the exchange in front of her.

“It was Elfriede, wasn’t it? Ugh, she couldn’t shut her mouth if she tried.” Chloé spat. There was no escape from this embarrassment. She’ll show them what it means to be a true Hunter, eventually. However, right now, she wants nothing more than to flee from her current predicament. “Anyway, I will crush you and your “clique” Diana, just you wait!” she directed her index finger towards Diana before stomping away.

“Man, what a bitch. Why did we have to attend the same medical school as her?” Barbara scorned.

Diana places two fingers on her temple as if rubbing away a headache - this exam was going to be tough in more ways than one.

* * *

Meanwhile, Tonpa was approaching other fresh faces. Other than Akko’s and Diana’s group, there were a number of newbies he could identify: numbers 51, 169, and 343. However, number 343 was exuding a sinister aura so strong that no one dared to stay near him. The man was dressed like a Rockstar – he had spiky red hair and was carrying a black electric guitar on his back. He wore a spiked leather jacket and pants to match. The oddity about him was not just his aura, but he had completely white pupils and seemed extremely malnourished – ribs visible from the gaps in his jacket.

“Yeesh, better stay away from that one.” Tonpa shuddered as he searches for his next prey.

“Oh, damn…” Upon closer inspection of his next target, number 51, Tonpa stared wide-eyed. She seemed like a young adult in her mid-20s. The tall woman had long blue hair bunched up loosely near her shoulders. He could see a plain black choker tied around her neck. Her navy-blue romper reached her ankles, and she had red eyes under a pair of oval spectacles. Tonpa was practically ogling at her.

Tonpa decided he wouldn’t sabotage this one, just for his entertainment. He tapped lightly on her shoulder, preparing his smouldering look, “Hey ther-“

In a blink of an eye, the woman had a steel bow and arrow drawn to his face – just barely poking his square nose.

“WOAH, LADY! CALM DOWN!” He shouted for his life.

After hearing his plea, the woman relaxed her arms, “O-oh, sorry. Bad habit, ahahahaha…” she scratched the back of her head.

“Ahaha…” Tonpa laughed uncomfortably, _“That was not funny, my life legitimately flashed before my eyes.”_ He thought to himself.

“Um, was there something you needed?” she inquired.

“Oh, no. I just wanted to be friendly and introduce myself to new people. The name’s Tonpa.” He put his hand out to shake.

“Oh, uh, I’m Ursula.” She said, clearly reluctant to reciprocate the handshake, “Oh! I hear my friend calling for me! Goodbye!”

“Ah wai- ugh.” He decided to give up. He was too old for this anyway.

Next target: number 169, a girl with crazy orange hair. _“Seriously, what is up with the sudden influx of girl newbies?”_

“Hey, kid!” Tonpa makes eye contact with her. She had a relatively dark complexion and unusual red markings under her eyes. “Want some juice? I’m giving them out to new people joining this year as a welcome!” He says enthusiastically.

“Oooh, you’re Tonpa, aren’t you? I’ve heard so much about you! Wow, they weren’t kidding when they said you needed to lose weight.” She exclaims as she pinched his belly fat.

“H-hey! What the heck is wrong with you? How do you even know me?”

She smirked, “Oh, I just have a lot of connections. Square nose? Check. Offers drinks? Check. Chubby? Check. Seriously, maybe it’s time you changed your tactics, eh?” she giggled as she poked fun at him.

“Remember this name very clearly: it’s Wangari.” she smiled slyly and turned away.

 _“What the hell is wrong with this year’s applicants?”_ Tonpa was losing his temper, _“It’s just like those dumb kids from before…”_ He did not want to relive those unsettling memories again.

Grumbling, he decides to return to Akko to convince her to drink the juice again until…

“Ahem, the last applicant, 402, has received their badge. I would like everyone to head outside right now.” The examiner announces.

The crowd moved together towards the sea. The warm rays of the sun made Akko feel re-energised.

“Wow, I didn’t know bamboo grows in the desert,” Akko spoke out loud as she stroked a bamboo pole which was twice her height.

“They don’t, usually. Villagers must’ve been planting them.” Sucy responded.

“For what?”

“Various things: food, building, making yarn.”

“That’s pretty neat. What do you think happened to the villagers?” Lotte asked.

“Oh yeah, I completely forgot about that.” Akko rested her chin on her fist, speculating the possible reasons.

Sucy interrupted her thoughts, “The Hunter Association probably paid them to leave so they could hold the exam here.”

Lotte pursed her lips, “But is that really necessary? They could’ve just booked that weird theatre.”

Before they could come to a conclusion, the examiner cleared his throat to address everyone, “Okay so here’s the test, as you’ve all been waiting for. If any of you missed my introduction, my name is Berthold and I will be your examiner for the first phase. Your goal is to reach Kukan’yu Kingdom, over there.” He pointed at the horizon, “However, you must be cautious – for there will be an obstacle nearing the edge of the Kingdom.”

The crowd stood silent for a while.

“But we don’t even see any land on the other side.” A random guy shouts.

Berthold raises an eyebrow and sighs, “Obviously not. It’s too far and the earth isn’t flat, you barmy.”

Multiple examinees seemed dubious of Berthold’s response and started discussing among themselves.

He rolls his eyes, “I’m done. I’m not here to convince you that the earth is round. Just get going, please. This is painful to watch.”

As soon as that was said, about three-quarters of the people, including Ursula and Wangari, began diving into the ocean one by one – swimming their way to the other side.

“Yosh! Let’s go, guys!” The brunette enthused as she started to do stretching exercises.

“Akko, you do realise that we don’t know two crucial pieces of information that could get us killed before we even get there?” Sucy inexpressively says.

“Eh? What information?”

“I think she means the fact that we don’t know how far the distance is between here and Kukan’yu Kingdom, and also that we don’t know what the “obstacle” is,” Lotte explains.

“Ah, Lotte. Thank goodness you have a brain.”

“Hey! Hmph.” Akko pouted, “Then what do you suggest we do, huh?”

“Well, why don’t you take a look at what some of the others are doing?” Sucy suggested.

Akko cocked her head to the side before turning around to observe her surroundings. The majority of the remaining people were standing around with perplexed expressions, like Tonpa. But there were also quite a number of people, like the pretty blonde and her group, who were… trying to get bamboo?

“Bamboo?” Akko was even more confused now.

“Yes. If you haven’t realised, we’re going to have to build a raft. That’s why there’s so much material here to work with.” Sucy answered while gesturing to the field of bamboo.

Akko still didn’t understand, “Why can’t we just swim?”

Sucy placed a hand on her forehead, “Sigh. Okay, Akko. Do you know why we cannot see any land on the other side?”

Akko bit her index finger and pondered, but ends up simply quoting the examiner, “ ’cause it’s far and the earth is round? ”

“Yes. The furthest point you can see on the horizon is about 5 kilometres away. But trust me, any distance between Kukan’yu and Saherta is way further than 5 kilometres.” Sucy squinted at Akko, “Do you think you can swim 100 kilometres?”

Akko scratched her head, “Well, I mean, I could tr-”

“And what if you run out of breath? Are you going to find land? And what if the obstacle is a strong current? Could you go against a strong-?”

“Okay! Okay! I get it! I’m dumb, and you’re both smart!” Akko huffed sadly and glanced at the ground. She understood her weakness – she was always reckless, and she realised almost killed herself by swimming across a potentially deadly ocean. Was she going to become a burden if she continued to join her companions? She couldn’t shake off the feeling that she might end up being the cause of someone else’s death.

All the negative thoughts started pouring in and Akko was beginning to doubt her capabilities.

“Akko… That wasn’t the point Sucy was trying to make. She’s just worried about you.” Lotte smiled at the brunette and placed a hand on her shoulder to assure her, “Many people decided to swim without thinking through too, you know.”

“I mean, you have a point, Akko. You _are_ kind of dum-” Sucy stopped abruptly when Lotte faced her and shook her head in disappointment.

_“Ah crap, I messed up again.”_

“Uh. You’re… not a dumbass, okay? You’re fast and have decent plant knowledge. And…” Sucy inhaled deeply, “I… care… about… you…” She choked out the words painstakingly.

Akko lifted her head instantly, eyes lighting up. She gave Sucy a goofy grin and a crushing hug, “Aww, Sucyyyyy.”

“I can’t. Fucking breathe.” Sucy coughed out, which was a lie – she was just didn’t want to be touched.

“Oh, sorry. Hehe.” Akko said while still grinning from ear to ear, “Alright! Let’s go murder some bamboo!” Akko ran towards the stalks of tall bamboo and tried breaking them apart with her gloved hands but to no avail.

Lotte was smiling widely too, “I knew you were a softy.”

Sucy slanted her eyebrows inwards and scowled, turning around to hide her face from Lotte, “Shut up.”

“Guys! Do you have a knife or something?” Akko shouted.

* * *

The participants who were originally standing around in confusion took the hint and started copying everyone else.

Due to the lack of sharp equipment, the trio had to resort to burning down the bamboo. They made a small campfire with the convex lens of Lotte’s glasses, using the glaring sun to burn some dry branches. Thereafter, Akko held a thick piece of wood near the flame to create a torch, placing the torch at the bottom of a bamboo stalk. The bamboo caught on fire, slowly turning black and brittle before falling flat onto the sand. Lotte rolled the bamboo back and forth to extinguish the flame. The brunette then continued to burn more bamboo with her torch.

“This is kind of slow…” Akko groans impatiently.

“Yeah…” Lotte agreed.

“It’s not like we have much of a choice,” Sucy said.

Akko watched fire burn as she sighed. Then she sighed again, but louder. And again. She repeated a series of sighs that increased in intensity each time, getting on Sucy’s nerves, “Would you shut up?”

“But this is just so boooooringgggg.”

“Ugh,” Sucy whined. Not long after, however, Sucy thought of a fantastic solution – which in response, made her jerk upright and curl her lips, “Hey, Akko. Don’t you think it’ll be so much faster if more people worked on this together?”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

“Well, why don’t you ask that blonde cargo pants girl if she would be willing to work on a raft with us?”

Akko stared at Sucy, mouth and eyes wide opened, “Ahhhhhh?”

“You like her anyway.”

The brunette blushed furiously and made a quick glance towards the blonde, not far from her right, “W-what? No way! I don’t even know her name!”

Lotte seemed thrilled by the suggestion, “I think it’s a good idea. Go and ask her Akko.” Lotte said eagerly.

“W-wha, why me?!” Akko’s high-pitched voice cracked.

“You’re the only one who talked to her.” Sucy sneered.

“B-but,” Akko swallowed. Her brain was going haywire just at the thought of making conversation with the blonde, “What should I say?”

Sucy let out a breath and rolled her eyes. Lotte encourages Akko with a smile, “Just introduce yourself and ask if they would like to work on a raft together.”

“O-okay…”

Akko walks mechanically for about fifty feet as if she forgot how her feet worked. She observed the blonde girl as she was kneeling down and cutting down a bamboo stalk using a knife, unaware of Akko’s nearing presence. The friends of the blonde were busy collecting vine from trees further away.

Akko cautiously stood behind the blonde, hesitating on her decision to call out to her. However, turning to look at the thumbs up that Lotte shot her, she was determined she couldn’t back down and disappoint her friends.

“I know we’re building a raft,” Lotte tells Sucy, “but I ship.”

Sucy creases her eyebrows, “What?”

 _“You can do this, Akko.”_ Akko assured herself and took a deep breath to draw courage – which was loud enough to startle the blonde, making her turn to face Akko.

“Oh, heavens. You surprised me.” Diana places a hand on her chest.

“Oh, uh, whoops. Sorry, ehehe.” Akko chuckles awkwardly, heart beat racing.

_“Damn it, Akko. Calm down. She’s going to think I’m weird!”_

Diana raises an eyebrow at her, “Well? Do you need something?”

Akko snaps out of her zone, “O-oh, right! Uh.” She tried recalling Lotte’s advice, “My name is Atsuko Kagari! Build boat with me?” Akko winced at her phrasing and how loudly she said that.

Diana was confounded, “Pardon?”

Sucy could be heard cackling fifty feet away.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I N T E R A C T I O N  
> &  
> emotional build-up

_“What? Build a boat? With her? Why is the friend whom she hugged laughing?”_

Questions raced through Diana’s mind. She thinks she got the gist of what Akko was trying to articulate. Nevertheless, she was bewildered by the sudden proposal and the brunette’s antics.

Akko blushes in embarrassment, “S-sorry, what I meant to say was.” She tried to control her irregular breathing, “Would you and your friends like to build a raft together with us?” Akko gestures to her companions, “You can call me Akko, by the way.”

Akko sighed in relief, “ _Yes, that was good! Mental high five!”_

Diana didn’t know what to make of the situation. Hannah and Barbara would certainly not be pleased with sharing the workload with them. But she didn’t mind, and even preferred, if she could build a raft together with the intriguing brunette.

Purely to speed up the process, of course.

Diana stood up and dusted her pants, knife still in hand, “Nice to meet you, Akko. My name is Diana Cavendish. Although I wouldn’t mind, I would have to ask my friends what they think. I’ll get back to you in a minute.” She spoke coherently with a small smile, “Do you mind making sure no one takes our bamboo in the meantime?”

Akko lips tugged at the corners forming a large, silly grin. Diana’s heart might have skipped at the sight, but she didn’t understand the feeling and brushed it off. She reasoned that it was probably because Akko reminded her of a cute puppy.

“Okay! I’ll just be over there!” Akko says and points at her companions standing behind a row of fallen bamboo.

“Alright, see you later.” Diana turns away to approach her friends.

Excitement starts bubbling within Akko as she practically skips to her friends.

“So?” Sucy asked.

Akko beams radiantly, “Her name is Diana Cavendish!”

“I meant if she wants to collaborate.”

“Oh,” Akko blushes, “she said she has to ask her friends first.”

“Alrigh- wait, did you say Cavendish?”

“Uh, yeah? Why?” Akko gave Sucy a puzzled reaction.

Lotte perked up, “Oh, wow! She’s related to that famous Doctor Hunter!”

Akko was the only one out of the loop, “What? What doctor?”

“Don’t you know, Akko?” Lotte continues, “The Triple-Star Recovery Hunter, Bernadette Cavendish!”

* * *

Meanwhile, Diana approaches her friends as they were collecting vine in the muddy mangrove forest. The breathing roots and bark of mangrove trees were covered in plenty of vines, bunching them up would be perfect for holding a raft together.

“Ugh, my shoes are brown and gross now.” Hannah groans while carrying a small bundle of vines on her left shoulder.

Barbara concurs, cutting more climber plants with her swiss army knife, “Maybe we should’ve left our shoes on the sand.”

Diana overhears their conversation from behind, “I wouldn’t mind being the one to collect the vines, you know.”

“Diana! What are you doing here? What if someone steals the bamboo?” Hannah questions.

“Relax, Akko is watching over them for us.”

“Akko? Who the heck is that?”

“Her real name is Atsuko, actually. The brown-haired girl from earlier?” Diana continues after her friends nod skeptically, “She asked if we would like to work on the raft together. I personally think it would be good to split the workload so we can make it to the next phase earlier. But of course, I wouldn’t agree to it without consulting both of you.” Diana explains, subconsciously persuading her friends to accept their help.

Barbara and Hannah exchanged eye contact before Barbara speaks up, “Well, I guess it could speed things up. But what makes you think they wouldn’t betray us once we finish the raft?”

Diana hummed, and then giggled internally when she thought of the brunette trying to do anything even remotely evil. Would she steal the last potato chip in the bag, perhaps?

However, the blonde knew better than to misjudge someone she barely talked to. She hasn’t even exchanged a word with the other two individuals.

“That is a fair argument, Barbara. Though I highly doubt she is capable of stealing, especially not from us. If I allowed that to happen, I don’t think I would be able to call myself a real Hunter.” Diana proclaimed, surprising her friends.

Hannah voices her opinion first, “What? How could you say that, Diana? I’m not going to give up my chance to become a Hunter because some dumb group decides to steal my hard work!”

“But Diana’s right, if we can’t even deal with them... are we really worthy to become Hunters?” Barbara mutters, deep in thought.

Hannah was exasperated, “Ugh, not you too! Being a Hunter is a title! And I would do anything, _anything_ , to get what I want.”

“Well, I’m just expressing my opinions.” Diana says nonchalantly, “And you’re entitled to your own. So, what will it be?”

It took the girls a while to come to a consensus, but Hannah eventually gives in. She never liked being the odd one out, “Fine, but if that Atsuko girl and her friends try anything funny, someone is getting stabbed.”

* * *

“Woah, I had no idea who Bernadette Cavendish was until today,” Akko said, mouth agape after Lotte spent ten minutes explaining how Bernadette owned an extremely successful hospital and rumours of her miraculous surgeries. However, she also grimly mentioned that Bernadette had passed away about a decade ago from an unknown illness.

Sucy rolls her eyes, “That’s because the only Hunter you care about is Chariot.”

“Hey!” Akko pauses, “That’s probably true… but wow! Diana… really is something else.”

 _“Like, way out of my league…”_ Akko thought sadly.

“Speak of the devil.” Sucy deadpanned.

Akko turns to find the girl they were talking about treading toward them with her companions. She looks at them expectantly.

Diana speaks up, “We agree to combine efforts.”

“Yay!” Akko almost hopped from joy.

“On one condition,” Hannah’s words dampen Akko’s mood and surprises Diana.

“We have the final say in any decision.” The redhead declares. This was not part of the plan.

Sucy eyes her suspiciously, “Won’t that mean you could keep the raft to yourselves? Or push us off in the middle of the ocean?”

“No,” Hannah replies coolly, “our objective is to build a raft and get to the other side together. Then hopefully, we won’t have to talk to each other again.”

“Hannah, we don’t need such a rule.” Diana protests.

Hannah clicked her tongue in disagreement, “They asked for our help. I think it’s a fair deal.”

Akko tries to break the heavy tension in the air, “We’re alright with that! Right, guys?” She exclaims cheerfully as she directs the question to her friends.

Lotte replies politely with a small smile, “Sure, it’s nice to meet you all.”

Sucy gazes to the side, refusing to make eye contact, “Real pleasure.”

Lotte starts fidgeting her hands uncomfortably out of the blue.

“Are you okay?” Diana furrowed her brows in concern.

“Eh? Y-yes, I just…” Lotte's eyes move to stare at Barbara’s shirt and points at it, “Is that a shirt of… the monster from Nightfall volume 285, chapter 23 page 16 to 25, the nightshackler?”

Barbara gasps loudly and lifts her hands to cover her mouth, “Oh. My. God. Shut up! It totally is!”

Lotte squeals excitedly, “Oh my gosh, I love Nightfall! Did you read the latest leak from Annabel on Twitbirb? I can’t wait for the next volume!” 

Both girls suddenly grabbed each other’s hands, squealing and jumping up and down while discussing enthusiastically about their favourite book series. Everyone else was stunned.

“What are they talking about?” Akko whispered loudly to Sucy.

Hannah clicks her tongue and interjects, “It’s a stupid book series Barbara is obsessed over.”

Lotte and Barbara overhear and shout simultaneously, “It’s not stupid!”

“Ugh! Whatever!” Hannah throws her hands out dramatically, “Can we start working now?”

* * *

Some of the other participants have already completed their rafts, though all but one of them had failed to stay on the water for ten seconds before their raft falls apart. Akko had been observing for any suspicious activity from Tonpa, realising that he had been carefully watching her group too.

_“Yikes, I guess Diana was right.”_

Tonpa had joined forces with a group of three guys. They were dressed as if they were preparing an armed robbery – wearing black eye masks, shaped like those she had seen at a carnival. The three of them probably knew each other, Akko inferred from their matching black clothes. The four were huddled in a circle, looking like they were scheming.

Regarding the new team of six, they have been progressing well with their efforts. Lotte and Barbara are working on piecing the raft by the water together – since they could not stop talking about Nightfall. Lotte pestered Akko to follow Diana, so they have been tasked to collect more vines. Lastly, Sucy and Hannah are occupied with chopping down bamboo and building paddles.

“I think it would be better to intertwine them like this,” Lotte told Barbara as she tied the vine taut around a bamboo overlapping another.

“Wow, you’re good at this, Lotte.” Barbara praises.

Lotte blushes, not accustomed to receiving compliments, “I fix things often. My family owns a small antique store in Zuban City. We repair all kinds of old stuff.”

Barbara was impressed with Lotte’s handiwork as she created a tight and stable knot, “Cool, I barely know anything about building. I study medicine with Diana and Hannah.”

“That sounds very difficult,” Lotte chuckles, “I don’t think I could ever study that.”

“Eh? Honestly, medical school just… a lot of studying. Needing to memorise five textbooks of information every exam.” Barbara heaved a heavy sigh, “If you’re diligent enough, you can probably make it. I struggle most with the practical stuff since I only know how to study.”

Lotte pauses, reading Barbara’s expression for a while as she continued to work on the raft, “Do you not enjoy medical school?”

Barbara smiles at Lotte sadly, “You saw right through me, huh?” she gave a hollow laugh.

“I thought I wanted to be a doctor, but it’s been so stressful…” Barbara frowns deeply, “I don’t know if I can keep up with the syllabus. Diana and Hannah have done better than me… Well, Diana already graduated actually, since she skipped a year in middle school. I don’t know… I’m kind of lost.”

Lotte puts a hand on Barbara’s shoulder, “Barbara… It’s okay to not do as well as others. You can’t beat everyone. I’m sure you’ll be a great doctor! You seem like a compassionate hard worker. And after you get your Hunter licence, it should be a lot easier for you to get a degree.”

Barbara swats her right hand weakly, “Psh, _if_ I manage to get the licence. That’s one of the reasons why I applied, but it is rare for newcomers to obtain it.”

“We’ll get through this together and prove that we can.” Lotte smiles softly.

Barbara reciprocates the smile, “Thanks for the pep talk, Lotte.”

* * *

_“Ugh, why did I have to be stuck with the creepy one. Stupid Barbara and her stupid book”_ Hannah complained in thought.

The odd pair were using Hannah’s pair of knives to harvest bamboo. Not a single word had been exchanged between them.

 _“This silence is unbearable…”_ Hannah sighs. Being the most sociable one in the group, Hannah isn’t used to keeping her mouth zipped. If Barbara was here, Hannah was sure they would’ve already discussed the latest fashion magazine issue down to every trivial detail.

But no, she was here. Suffering in silence with an inexpressive, gothic scientist. Suffering in silence with someone who was so eerily pale that she looked like she was in dire need of a blood pack.

Hannah weighs her decision to start a conversation. She finally blurts out a question when Sucy places a bamboo stalk on the floor, “How do you think we should build the oars?”

No response. Sucy continues cutting as if nothing happened.

Hannah wasn’t used to being ignored – and it irked her, _“The hell? At least say something!”_ she screamed in her head.

“Split bamboo.” Sucy replies expressionless, still facing forward.

The redhead was surprised at her very delayed answer, “Ah, right. You could’ve said that after I asked and not leave me hanging.” She fakes a laugh to lighten the mood.

“I was thinking.” Sucy still has her poker face on.

“’Ahaha… right…” Hannah decided to give up on socialising, but Sucy actually makes an effort to continue the chat.

“These knives must be expensive,” she deadpans, delicately touching the well-crafted grey pocketknife.

“Huh? Oh, yeah.” Hannah didn’t expect that “My dad bought it for me, saying that a lady must learn to defend herself, yadda yadda.” she rolls her eyes, “Even though my real goal is to save lives, not take them.”

“You’re a doctor?”

Hannah smirked, “In training. What about yourself?”

“Chemist.”

“Oh, cool. What kind of chemist?”

“Biochemical and organic.”

“Ah, that’s neat. So, like, the biological system and molecules of life?”

Sucy simply nods.

The redhead didn’t know if this awkward, short answer conversation was actually helping them get to know each other – or if it was another form of torture.

“Watch this.” Sucy takes out a red vial from her lab coat pocket. Hannah eyes the bottle suspiciously.

Sucy poured the viscous liquid onto the ground as if she was watering a bamboo stalk. Within seconds, the stalk shot up in height and grew almost twice its original height. The bamboo pole was greener, flourishing with new dull yellow flowers that looked like feelers drooping on the side. Many more leaves and branches poked out of the stalk and appeared in an instant, as if by magic.

But it was all _science_ , of course.

“Wow…” Hannah said with her mouth agape, “That… was actually pretty cool.”

She lied – that was the single most mind-boggling occurrence that Hannah had ever witnessed.

“I increased the age of this plant by about fifty years,” Sucy showed no emotion, “The bamboo we’ve been cutting must’ve been only about a month old. This would have been the final height if we waited another month. The flowers indicate that it will die soon.”

“Oh, uh… cool?” For once, the redhead had no words to say.

* * *

Akko and Diana were heading into the muddy woods, and Akko feels like it is a terrible time to be having indigestion – until she realised, she was just nervous. Her hands were cold and clammy, her body felt jittery. She couldn’t comprehend why standing mere feet away from the blonde made her mind so erratic.

_“Jeez. Seriously, brain? We’re just walking!”_

Diana notices when Akko started to play with her jacket anxiously, “What’s wrong?”

Akko waves her hands furiously, “N-nothing! I was just… thinking about…” she scrambles to find an excuse.

“About um, if I fail the exam.” She said, hoping it was convincing enough.

The blonde raised a brow, “You can always try next year. It’s not common for new applicants to pass.”

Akko laughed nervously, “Well, I probably won’t be able to afford to come here next year.”

“What do you mean?”

“I just can’t afford it. My family doesn’t make enough money for me to grab an air ticket whenever I want. Well, unless the next exam is being held in the Republic of Padokea.” Akko sighed.

Diana was surprised. She never really had an issue with money, so she didn’t understand what it was like to be poor. Additionally, she was unsure of what to say to comfort her. Diana didn’t really have much experience in giving moral support, she’d rather support someone by helping them with their studying or something along those lines. Diana bit her lips in contemplation.

“Well, then you better make sure you pass.” She says matter-of-factly.

“Gee, that’s so encouraging.” The brunette giggles at Diana’s response. Diana tilts her head to the side.

“Uh I mean, that’s true, I suppose. Sorry, I didn’t mean to talk about myself to gain sympathy or anything.” Akko rubs the back of her neck.

“No, I didn’t think that at all. I apologise if I’m too straightforward.”

Akko’s eyes widened, “Not at all! I think it’s nice to hear people being upfront. Sucy’s sarcasm is lost on me sometimes…” she grumbles softly, stepping into the muddy field with the blonde.

Diana pauses and remembers their interaction near the shore, “Is Sucy your friend?”

“Hmm? Yeah! I… I think so. She never said it directly, but she said she cared about me.” The brunette glances down with a fond smile.

Diana couldn’t shake off an unfamiliar ache in her chest, “I see. I thought the hug you exchanged meant something else.”

The brunette blinked repeatedly before her words sink in, cheeks flushing pink, “W-what?! No way! I can only see Sucy as a friend!” Akko exclaimed, “But… you’ve been watching us?”

“Oh, no. I just happened to see you when I turned around.” Diana said, unsure why she felt relieved, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to imply anything. I don’t usually hug others as a sign of friendship and… I was hoping to learn more about you.”

Akko’s breath hitched at that last sentence. They were already partway in the mangroves.

“Since we’ll be working with each other for a while.” The blonde continues as she cuts long vines using Barbara’s pocketknife.

“O-oh, right. O-of course...” Akko stuttered, “I would… like to know more about you too.” She mumbles hesitantly, loud enough for Diana to hear. “I know you’re related to that famous Doctor Hunter? Bernadette Cavendish?”

Diana visibly flinched at the mention of the name. With her back facing Akko, she took a deep breath, “Yes… That’s my mother.”

Akko immediately realises the heaviness of the subject and regrets opening her mouth, “Oh… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…”

“It’s alright, it’s already been ten years.” Diana voice was slightly strained.

 _“Crap, I made things awkward. Now you’ve done it, Kagari.”_ The brunette berates herself.

“Lotte only just told me about your family name, so I didn’t know it before.” Akko says carefully, “But, your mom seemed like a really good doctor. Someone who was kind and smart. I think… that you’re similar to her, in that sense.” The brunette’s lips thinned. Her racing heart couldn’t slow down.

Diana remained silent for a few seconds, seemingly focused on collecting vines – until she clenches her fists so tight her knuckles turn pale.

She turns to stare harshly into Akko’s crimson eyes, “You don’t know anything about me, nor my mother. Refrain from mentioning her name ever again.” Diana reprimanded sternly before walking away.

Akko yelped internally, terribly guilty about ever mentioning her mother. She did not dare to speak a word to the blonde. She still wanted to help, but she couldn’t possibly remove the vines with her hands – they had to be cut properly. Not knowing what to do, Akko walked a good six feet behind Diana in silence, her head hung in shame. The only sound emitted was the sloshing of their feet in the mud and the occasional frog croak.

* * *

Diana didn’t mean it. She didn’t mean to snap like that.

Lashing out at the brunette was her defence mechanism. Hearing her mother’s name was like a cold stab to her chest. Happy childhood memories crawl back to her mind to haunt her. Diana knew that she could never experience her mother’s kind warmth again – but it was tremendously difficult for her to accept it. Her mom had raised her lovingly without a father. She was her only family who fully accepted Diana, unlike her dreadful aunt and cousins. The mere thought of family threatens Diana’s tears to fall down her face, but being expected to keep a calm composure had trained her to suck it up. Diana will not allow her cool exterior to be broken down – you can’t afford to show weakness when absurd expectations are expected of you.

 _“It’s the least I could do for mom.”_ She reminds herself, breathing ragged, _“It is my life’s duty.”_

The simple reminder is enough to bring her back to her feet and push on. However, if she had the choice, she would be uncertain if she would follow this path.

Diana didn’t enjoy the uncomfortable silence between them. As time passed, she felt an increasing magnitude of guilt. She knew she had to apologise, but she didn’t want to talk about what happened at all.

Diana bottles up her emotions and musters the strength to huff out an apology.

Turning around slowly to see the brunette staring at her feet sadly, she breaks the silence, “I’m sorry.”

Akko lifts her head up immediately. Tears were prickling at the side of her eyes. Eventually, Akko starts bawling her eyes out and cries, “I’m sorry! I-I didn’t m-mean to be rude!” she says between sobs, tears dripping to the floor.

Diana’s melancholic mood was instantly replaced with confusion.

The brunette sniffs loudly, “It was such a difficult topic for you… and yet I…” she sniffs again, “I made you remember horrible things, didn’t I?!”

The blonde was stunned once again, _“This girl… really is something else,”_ were all the words she could describe the girl sobbing shamelessly in front of her.

Diana thought she would be the one to break down and cry. But upon seeing the teary-eyed, defenceless girl with absolutely no barriers, she could only think about how much she wanted to protect her smile.

It was the most obscure feeling Diana had ever experienced.

“It was my fault,” Diana places her hand on Akko’s shoulder gently, “I was being immature, while you were simply trying to make me feel better.”

Akko shook her head vehemently, “N-no, you weren’t being immature, D-Diana.” She tries to take deep breaths to speak properly, “Your feelings about this, they’re v-valid. It was difficult for you to t-talk about. So, you shouldn’t f-feel sorry.”

The brunette’s gentle red eyes searched within Diana’s azure gems. For a second, Diana forgot about putting up a front. She wanted to talk about the negative feelings she had bottled inside for years. Despite being someone whom she just met – Akko made her feel safe.

“I… I won’t hurt your feelings again. I promise!” Akko wipes away her tears with her forearm, “And if… if you need someone to talk to, or just be there, you can rely on me!”

The blonde didn’t know how to respond. No one had ever tried to comfort her since she always kept at a distance from others. At most, Barbara and Hannah would ask about her feelings and tell her to stop studying so much. However, she was never one to confide in someone else – much less someone who she had just been acquainted with.

But she didn’t realise how incredibly nice it would be to hear the words from another’s mouth.

What on earth was this girl doing to her head?

“Akko…” Diana smiles softly. She places her palm on Akko’s shoulder, her face only inches away from the weeping girl, “Thank you for that. To be honest, I was really just…”

“DIANA!” Barbara’s shout shakes them out of their moment. It felt like a spell between them had been broken.

“What’s taking so long? We got worr- woah, Akko. Are you okay?” Barbara asks after noticing the brunette’s red, puffy eyes.

“E-eh? Y-yeah… I’m alright…” Akko gave a hollow laugh, “I think we’ve collected enough vine. Let’s head back, Diana!” not making any eye contact, she turns away and walked hurriedly towards the beach.

“Wait, Akko!” Diana raises her voice, but Akko never looked back.

“Um," Barbara pauses apprehensively, "Did I come at a bad time?"

* * *

_“What was that what was that what was that WHAT THE HECK JUST HAPPENED?”_ Akko briskly walked away. She was frantically biting her nails, remembering the strangely intimate moment she shared with Diana.

“Her face…” Akko gulped, “was so near to mine…”

Diana’s facial features were even more beautiful up close. In such close proximity, Akko realised Diana’s hair had a tinge of fruity smell, which was way too intoxicating for Akko to handle. Everything about that situation felt like it would only ever happen in Akko’s dreams. The spinning excitement made Akko feel floaty - like she was in delirium.

“And her lips… I couldn’t stop staring at them like an idiot!” Akko ran her fingers down her scalp and pulled her hair tightly in frustration.

Her head was muddled between happiness and utter embarrassment. Needless to say, she wanted to dig up a hole and die.

Akko just kept walking aimlessly as she stared at her legs, letting them take her anywhere _but_ the mangrove forest.

“Does she think I’m weird? We should stop working together… but I’m certain the raft is almost complete. We should just give them the raft…” Akko muttered under her breath.

“Akko…” a faint voice appears from behind, but Akko doesn’t register it.

“I’m sure we can build another one. But I don’t think Sucy would be too happy…”

“Akko…”

“Ugh! But my dignity is on the line here!”

“AKKO!”

The brunette finally lifts her head and whirls around, only to find Lotte putting on a concerned face – much like how her mom would when Akko had a problem.

“Akko, what’s wrong? You walked right past us and almost went into another group’s space…”

Akko looked around. Sure enough, there were a group of men behind her – glancing her way with menacing expressions. If she had continued her path, there is a very real chance she could’ve been ambushed.

“Oh, sorry. I was spacing out, haha.” Akko gave a meaningless chuckle.

It was quite obvious Lotte wasn’t convinced, but she didn’t mention otherwise, “Come on, everyone’s waiting for you.”

She signals for Akko to follow her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- My writing is 70% dialogue, is that bad?  
> \- I'm not very satisfied with how I wrote Diana's feelings, but ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
> \- I wanted it to be similar to LWA episode 20 where Diana talks about her mom and she looked so upset, but then Akko just starts crying a river and Diana's face is like "What". It was really cute.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Sorry if you've been waiting :x I can't believe people actually want to keep reading my work, honestly. But I'm very grateful to anyone who does. Thank you ^^ It's like break week for me now so I decided to continue writing. (Can I just mention that I hate online tests?) Even though I did have more free time due to the covid situation, I was not feeling confident in my writing. I'm never really satisfied with what I post, but I know it's part of the learning process. Sorry for rambling :p Hope you enjoy this chapter! (ps. i didn't really read through it because it's late and I just wanted to finish it, sorry for mistakes.)

Diana was an incredibly bright person who excelled in nearly any field she studies. However, when it comes to recognising other people’s emotions, or even her own, she could be as dense as a rock. That was her current predicament – unable to understand why the brunette was so flustered, and why she herself acted so oddly. But it was apparent that they had some kind of… mutual understanding. It simply felt natural for Diana to open up to Akko.

Diana wasn’t big on making friends or socialising unless necessary, but Hannah and Barbara are always mentioning that she needed more real friends (and not just helping other students to study). Akko was the perfect candidate for new friendship because she seemed like a genuine person, was what Diana thought.

The blonde shook her head and sighed. There was no reason to ponder about all this. Akko herself mentioned that she could confide in her whenever she wanted. That was more or less a proposal of friendship, right?

“Looks like everyone’s here,” Hannah announced as Lotte and Akko were approaching their makeshift raft, interrupting Diana’s train of thought. The sun was beginning to swelter, indicating that the time was close to noon. Diana wiped the beads of sweats off her forehead and observed as the brunette refused to lift her head to meet anyone’s eyes. It was obvious she wasn’t her cheerful self. Diana wanted to lift her spirits, but she wasn’t sure how to. She was also perplexed by how the girl was still wearing a windbreaker under the scorching heat.

Barbara casually explains their situation, mostly directing the message to Akko, “The raft is almost complete. We just need to make it a little longer to fit all of us.”

Akko barely nods, still stoic and lost in thought. It was enough to make Sucy groan and roll her eyes, “Akko, being mopey is my job. We’ve wasted enough time on this dumb raft. I doubt that Berthold guy will wait forever even if we do make it. Are you giving up on being a hunter already?”

The brunette’s eyes widened as she shouted almost instantaneously, “No way!”

“Good. Now help build this so we can leave this desert. I don’t like it here. Sand keeps getting into my shoes.”

“Hai!” Akko had that sparkle in her eyes again as she mocked a salute, immediately grabbing the leftover materials to work with. The brunette’s sudden upbeat determination was infectious – the others wore a small smile on their faces and started to get their hands busy. Diana was happy that Akko appeared better, but she was somewhat dissatisfied she didn’t think of a way to help Akko first. Especially when Sucy made it look so easy.

 _“What am I even thinking?”_ Diana heaved a sigh. She didn’t think she’d ever be this petty over friendship.

Thankfully, everyone was far too busy to notice her unusual behaviour. She blocked out her intruding thoughts and focused on the task at hand.

* * *

“Well, this… it works I guess…” Hannah places her hands on her hips as she observed their final product, trying very hard not to criticise their hard work. The raft did not have very even gaps – with some spaces slightly larger than others. More vines were tied in certain places. Ensuring that every bamboo was of equal length would have been a waste of time to cut. Essentially, every part of the raft did not look symmetrical.

“It’s just a raft. Its job isn’t to look good.” Diana said, but unable to deny that she was hoping for a more presentable piece of work. However, she was quick to retract her statement after noticing Lotte trying to hide her disappointed frown. She was the one who was guiding them on the raft’s general blueprint, after all. “I think it’s certainly very sturdy, though. The oars, especially, seemed well made. It’s all thanks to Lotte.”

“E-eh?”

“Yeah! Thanks, Lotte!” Barbara pats her shoulder and grins.

Lotte couldn’t help but redden in slight embarrassment, “I-it’s a team effort…”

“It _is_ great!” Akko exclaimed, not even showing a hint of sarcasm. She was evidently pleased with her craft. “Let’s test it right now!”

Together, they carefully pushed the raft an inch away from the shore and stepped onto it one by one. There were a few frightening bobs which caused a shrieking Barbara and Lotte. However, it managed to stay afloat with all six of them on board.

“Oh thank goodness,” Lotte clutched her right hand over her chest as she sighed in relief.

Akko literally jumped for joy, violently rocking the raft and almost causing the girls to fall backwards into the water, “We did it! Onward to Kukan’yu Kingdom!” she cried while pointing at the horizon, completely unaware that her action could have resulted in five angry drenched girls. Sucy was about to threaten Akko that she would spew another one of her chemical brews on her when an unfamiliar voice appeared behind them.

“Nice raft, losers.”

Startled, Akko spun around only to find a girl around her age. The blonde-haired girl had her arms crossed and she was surrounded by four other guys who appeared slightly older.

Hannah made an annoyed sound, “Seriously, Chloe, are you going to come bothering us every few hours?” She pauses as she eyes the four fairly attractive young men in casual clothes curiously, “Did your dad buy you accompanying butlers or something?”

“Oh, no. I’m just sorry for these girls who have to work together with you. And no, these boys are letting me join their raft. They’re too kind, really.” Chloe flicks her blonde locks over her shoulder, smirking sweetly at the guys who are shamelessly making eyes at her. “Your raft looks like crap, by the way.”

From that single negative comment, insecurity seeped through Lotte. Even Akko could tell how upset she looked – and she was _not_ going to tolerate anyone who insults her friends in any way.

“You take that back!” Gritting her teeth, Akko pointed an accusing finger towards Chloe, “I don’t know who you are, but you better apologise.”

“Wow, alright. I take it back. You insufferable bunch are practically meant for each other.” She sneered and the random batch of guys around her laughed exaggeratedly in unison. Sucy could be seen visibly repulsed by the synchronised laughter and mutters something about the irony of being insufferable.

“How dare you! Diana and the other two are super nice!” The brunette tightens her glove-covered fist into a ball, before taking a split second to wince at her choice of words of calling them “the other two”. But the small pang of guilt from forgetting her new friend’s names wasn’t enough to pull her out of her angry fit. There were too many names being introduced in one day, how was she supposed to remember all of them?

“How about you get a taste of this-”

“Akko,” Diana interrupted their rambling, “Let’s not waste any more time.”

“Yeah, the more you feed Chloe with attention, the worse she becomes.” Barbara glared at Chloe.

“Good idea, actually. I feel physically sick talking to you. Come on, guys.” With a wave of her hand, Chloe commanded the group of boys away from the scene. Once she was out of earshot, the Akko couldn’t restrain herself from complaining, “Ugh! What a little… little…”

“Bitch. She’s a fucking bitch.” Sucy somehow managed to swear without showing any hint of emotion on her face. But from her tone, Akko knew Sucy was at least a bit angry. Sucy hasn’t been one to show any intense emotion other than disgust. However, Akko inferred that it was most probably because Lotte was affected and Sucy is actually a big softie.

Not that she would tell Sucy. It was too early for her to die.

“Right?! She really is!”

“I wholeheartedly agree,” Hannah responded with folded arms.

“Girls, we shouldn’t let her remarks get to our heads. Let’s focus on the task at hand.” Diana said plainly.

“Uh, right…” Akko rubbed her nape with her palm self-consciously. Diana handled the situation so maturely that she couldn’t help but felt like her actions were inappropriate.

Unexpectedly, Diana mutters a string of words, barely loud enough for Akko to hear, “Thank you… for standing up for us.” The blonde expresses her thanks while directing her look away from Akko, as if she wasn’t accustomed to thanking others.

However, Akko grins so widely Diana couldn’t help but turn and stare.

“Aww, it’s no big deal. You guys _are_ nice!”

Hannah rolls her eyes, “Yeah, “Diana and the other two”.”

Barbara takes a moment to sigh before covering for Hannah, “But it was seriously nice of you to defend us. Even though it might’ve been futile.” Akko was very satisfied with that answer and she displayed it to Barbara with a huge smile. She still felt a bit bad about forgetting their names though.

Not wanting to subconsciously make fun of Akko’s comical face, Hannah takes the initiative to hop off the raft and return with six bamboo oars, “Let’s go.”

* * *

After rowing for a few unknown hours, the girls had witnessed the vast desert behind them shrink until all they could see was… sea. The previously flaming sun was beginning to turn to an orange hue, slowly setting and eventually disappearing under the ocean horizon. All six of them were sitting cross-legged on the bamboo raft, filling the time with small talk or silence. The clothing on the lower half of their body was half soaked – the bamboo raft had spaces that the salty water would seep through even from the slightest ocean waves. It was inevitable, but it didn’t make it any less uncomfortable. That was, however, the least of Lotte’s worries.

“I’ve never rowed so much in my life,” Lotte said, wobbly arms weakly gripping onto her oar. She was obviously fatigued from physical exertion.

“You should take a break, Lotte. We don’t know how long this will take.” Diana suggested.

Lotte shook her head, “It’s fine. I feel bad if I’m the only one who stops. Sorry, I’m not very strong…”

“Hey don’t worry about that, Lotte. We can take turns to take breaks!” Akko voiced her opinion from behind. Akko was sitting at the back of the raft beside Diana, right behind Lotte and Barbara. Hannah and Sucy were navigating in front using the provided compasses, otherwise, it would’ve been impossible to tell which way was north.

“It’s fine,” Lotte didn’t want to argue about it, so she opted to change the subject instead, “How long have we been rowing?”

Barbara takes a moment to check her mobile phone from her pocket, “Close to five hours.”

“Woah, you have a phone?” Akko asks with genuine curiosity.

The brunette couldn’t see, but Hannah and Barbara were making the same puzzled expression. “Doesn’t everyone?” Barbara replies.

“Uh, I’ve never owned one before.” Akko’s small voice almost sounds like a whimper.

“Seriously? Do you even have a social life?” Hannah mocks with a scoff.

“That was quite rude, Hannah.” Diana reprimanded out of the blue. “Even though I do have a phone, I personally think it’s an inconvenience to bring it along with me for the Hunter Exam. And I rarely even use it.”

Hannah laughs, “That’s ‘cause you don’t know how to make full use of your phone.”

“Yes, I do. I can make phone calls, send emails and messages. Is that not what a phone is for?”

“Oh, come on, Diana.” Hannah rolls her eyes, “There’s more to the phone than just the basics. We tried to teach you, but you left our group chat the day it was created!”

The blonde frowns, “It was distracting to receive a notification every ten minutes while I was studying. And both of you were sending random pictures which I didn’t even understand.”

Barbara suddenly felt compelled to join the conversation, “They’re called memes, Diana.”

“I don’t know what that is.”

“That’s because you never care when we explain the joke to you!” The red-head said in an exasperated tone.

Realising it was useless to try and find a middle ground, Barbara takes the opportunity to gain a new friend on social media, “Hey, Lotte. How about following each other on Twitbirb?”

“Oh,” the sudden change in topic surprised Lotte, “Sure. But is there even a signal here?”

“Nope, but just tell me your username and I’ll write it in my notes. It might come in handy to have contact information. It’s not for, like, talking about Nightfall after the exam is over… or anything.” Barbara gives a knowing smirk. Lotte reciprocates with a smile.

While the fangirls had their exchange, Akko was feeling left out. She felt rather childish to feel down over not having a phone like everyone else, even though she knew very well that a phone was pricy and never a priority for her. The brunette was envious of the possible “social life” that she could’ve had if she was from an average family in town. There weren’t any kids her age she could’ve conversed with in the slums. And even if there were, the way the neighbours treated each other, growing up in such a hostile environment, wasn’t exactly the kind one would want to make friends in. The only relationships she would consider friends would probably be the people working in the town market and the kind florist down the street because they greeted each other every morning and they would give her free stuff.

Akko didn’t really understand the need to get a phone. Well, she did use a payphone a few times though. Did that count?

“How about you, Sucy?” Akko enquired, “You have a mobile phone too?”

Sucy pauses and replies monotonously, as usual. “No. Phones can be tracked. It would be a problem if my family figured out where I was all the time.”

Everyone on the raft could feel they were breaching into a more sensitive matter, except Akko. “Huh? Why would you be worried about your family knowing where you are? Do they not want you to be taking this exam?”

Unexpectedly, Sucy answers without hesitation, “Yeah. We have different wants. Different expectations.”

Following her curt reply was silence, and Sucy regrets letting out the last line, “If I had the choice, I wouldn’t want them as my family.”

Akko was dumbfounded. Wasn’t family the best thing anyone could have? She almost couldn’t believe her ears.

 _“Isn’t blood thinner than water? Or was it the other way around? What was the saying again?”_ Akko was lost in her own head again. Getting to know Sucy’s past was definitely on Akko’s to-do list now. She wanted to probe Sucy for more information but was stopped by someone’s shouting nearby.

“Yoooo! Hey, ladies! Could you let me rest on your raft? I-I’ll help to paddle!” It was Wangari. She was to the right of their raft, swimming towards them with an exaggerated smile on her face. Wangari was clearly gasping for breaths while still trying to be as friendly as possible.

Without needing any introductions, Akko was eager to jump into the ocean to help the girl – if only it weren’t for Hannah.

“Not so fast,” Hannah demands, “Who are you and why should we help you?”

Tired aches pulse through Wangari’s body but she forces a smile, aware that this conversation could cost her her life. “Oh, sorry for being rude. The name’s Wangari.” She says and pauses to pant for more air, “If you help me, I’ll owe you one.”

Hannah scoffed loudly, “Uh-huh, right. As if I’ll believe you won’t sabotage us once you get on our raft.”

“Please… I really can help you.” Wangari pleads between breaths, “A lot of people owe me…”

Unable to bear the sight of a helpless person struggling, Akko speaks up, “Come on, Hannah. Let her on. She can’t even talk properly.”

Hannah raises her right brow, “Do you remember who gets to make the decision? Not you. The extra weight would only slow us down.”

“She said she could paddle!”

“We only have six oars. We only need six people.”

“Can’t we just let her rest or something?”

“This is a competition, Akko. Death was a risk that everyone was willing to take! She was stupid to swim and now she has to pay the price!” The redhead was starting to get worked up, “Are you just going to help everyone whom we pass by? Sorry, dumbass, but the raft has its limits too.”

Akko was getting really tired of people calling her dumb, “We could just let her sit on the raft for about fifteen minutes!” She raised her voice to match Hannah’s.

“That’s no different! She’d die when we reach the obstacle!”

“Both of you stop!” Diana shouts with a commanding tone which seems to work very well on startled Akko, while Hannah continues to folds her arms in disapproval. “Hannah, it wasn’t just your decision who had the final say. It’s supposed to be a unanimous decision – you, me, and Barbara. So maybe you should listen to what Barbara has to say first.” Her words were more of a demand than a suggestion.

Hannah squints her eyes at Diana and Barbara, but eventually her features soften, “Fine, I already know what you’re both going to pick. Save her, right? Oh, wow, a bunch of righteous and moral doctors. And now I’m the bad guy again. Figures.” Hannah, still folding her arms, shifted uncomfortably in her seat and faced the other side, “Do what you want.”

Barbara lets out a small sigh and smile, knowing she would need a delicate approach to her generally bull-headed personality, “Come on, Hannah. You’re right that I prefer not leaving the girl alone…” Hannah makes a soft ‘hmph’ sound, “But we can still come to a compromise. Something we can all agree on?”

Diana's lips tighten, “I agree. We’ll just help this one girl. It is a good point that we can’t risk the raft carrying more people.” She then gives a small smile, “I know you’re just looking out for the team, Hannah. You’re not the bad guy. Your opinions are invaluable.”

It was tough to tell if Hannah’s cheeks were red from a previous sunburn, or she was actually blushing from the compliment, “Sure.”

“Aww. You guys are such good friends!” Akko exclaims happily.

“Guys, pardon me if I’m wrong, but I think the girl is going to drown soon.” Sucy mentions nonchalantly while pointing at Wangari, who had floated a distance away from the raft and is now flailing her arms around in an attempt to stay afloat, “Just saying.”

Realising Wangari’s predicament, Akko dives in with her jacket still on and pulls their new raft mate to safety.

* * *

“Wow, I really thought that was the end of the line for me. I almost saw grandmama…” Wangari says dramatically. She lies on the center of the raft, her usually orange puffy hair drenched below her shoulders. Her breathing still ragged. “Maybe I should’ve let natural selection run its course. Dying doesn’t sound too bad.”

“Oh, joy. She’s hallucinating from oxygen deprivation.” Sucy commented.

Everyone was staring at Wangari. Some more cautious than others, particularly Hannah – who was waiting until she was okay to sit upright and make some ground rules clear.

Wangari chuckles, “I know I’m a charmer, but you guys don’t have to keep staring. I’m rather shy.”

Akko is the only one who stifles a laugh. Hannah groans loudly, “This is great. I’m so glad that out of the four hundred people, we saved this conceited weirdo.”

“Aw, thank you.” Wangari winks. She groans again.

“Stop lying down and start paddling. Takeover each of our positions every half an hour. You don’t get breaks. Also, we need to discuss that favour you promised.” The redhead snaps.

Wangari smirks, “Oh, come on. I kinda just got here. And who said I promised anything?”

“Out. Now.”

The orange-haired girl immediately sits upright and straightens her back, “Sheesh, take a joke, will you?” She sighs heavily and grabs an oar, “Alright, I’ll start working now. As for the favour, I’ll help you anytime you need during the exam. Did I mention I’m also a very entertaining companion to have around?”

Lotte cocks her head slightly to the side, “You seem very confident you can help us during the exam.”

Wangari grins, “The Hunter Exam is one of the most difficult things to pass. Surely you could use my help somewhere along the way. I have many connections. You’d be surprised.”

Diana gives a skeptical look, but doesn’t question further, “I’m sure we can manage just fine, thank you. We’ve wasted enough time here. Let’s continue rowing.”

“Ouch, what a cold princess. Not even an introduction from you guys?”

Akko’s smile grew two-fold. It was her turn to shine, “Hi! My name’s Atsuko Kagari! But you can just call me Akko!”

“Nice, this is the kind of hospitality that I expect.” Wangari gives a genuine smile, “By the way, I know I didn’t say it explicitly, but thank you all.”

The rest of the group gave a short introduction before continuing their journey north.

* * *

Wangari takes over Lotte’s position first. She explains to everyone how she had been swimming for what felt like forever. Dramatically, she started to tell the cautionary tale of her adventure at sea - seeing about a hundred people drowning from exhaustion in front of her eyes, almost getting devoured by a great white, and swimming frantically away from footlong, hungry piranhas. Sucy and Diana knew that piranhas were freshwater fish, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out whatever Wangari said was close to entirely fabricated. However, they didn’t want to ruin the mood because at least Akko, Barbara, and Lotte seemed to indulge in her narratives. Additionally, Akko had to take off her jacket to dry it and her sleeveless, toned arms did not help Diana focus on the story being told for reasons unbeknownst to Diana. Hannah wasn’t paying attention, or rather, didn’t want to give any attention to Wangari. Her pride wouldn’t allow it.

The dusk falls to night. Stars in the sky spread out like glittering freckles. The toenail shaped moon glowed and covered the surface of the dark ocean with films of shiny waves. Fortunately, or unfortunately, the atmosphere was riddled with the sound of four laughing girls and three brooding ones.

“And so, I swam with some group of guys. But boy, I trusted them too much.” Wangari shook her head. Her orange hair had dried and was now frizzled up and she was now paddling to replace Akko.

“Why? What happened? Did they attack you?” Akko asks impatiently.

“Yes, but the shocking news was… they were… mermen!”

“I really enjoyed the merman chapter in Nightfall volume 174.” Barbara sighs wistfully. Lotte does the same and nods in agreement.

Akko was the only one who made a very shocking facial expression, her hands smacking her cheeks in disbelief, “No way! Aren’t they myths?”

“I thought they were… but my eyes didn’t lie.”

“Wow! So, what happened then?”

“I killed them, of course. If not, I wouldn’t be alive right now.” Wangari huffed with faux pride, knowing perfectly well that Akko actually believes everything she says. “It was four against one. All I had with me was my dagger. But whenever they approached me, I was speedy enough to react and give stabs to critical areas, precisely puncturing their internal organs exactly the way I wanted. Was a shame to kill such pretty faces though.”

Barbara and Lotte still had no idea how Akko could trust every word Wangari says, but it was entertaining nonetheless.

Akko gasps loudly, “That’s so cool! I’m pretty fast myself, but there’s no way I would’ve been able to know if their biology was even close to that of a human if I didn’t even know if they existed!”

Wangari was taken aback by the remark, “Uh… yeah. What can I say? I’m multi-talented.”

Diana pinches the bridge of her nose for the nth time, “Akko, I hope you do realise that whatever Wangari is saying is simply a figment of her very… creative imagination.”

“What?! How can that be? She said she just experienced them!”

Hannah whines, “You… you can’t be serious. Are you actually that dumb?”

That word had a new kind of effect on the brunette she didn’t know it had, “Would you stop calling me dumb? I know I’m not very smart, okay! I just… have a different way of perceiving things!”

“Perceiving things the dumb way.” Hannah rolls her eyes.

Barbara disapproves of the redhead’s behaviour, “Would you stop trying to pick a fight with everyone, please?”

“I’m helping her so maybe she can maybe make less dumb decisions which could very much save her life during the exam.”

Akko was seeing red now, “Oh yeah?! If Wangari’s stories were so fake, then why do I see mermen approaching our boat?! Hah! Explain that!”

“What are you even… GAH!” the raft shook violently.

Everyone’s eyes scattered around the waters to search for the source of the impact. The ocean was too dark, but occasionally, a silhouette of a human and a large fishtail could be seen. And there were at least half a dozen of them circling around the raft. They would forcefully bump onto parts of the raft and make the girls flinch in terror. Not long after, one of them swims up the surface to show their hideous, scale filled face. Its features were no doubt unhuman – black beady eyes to the sides of its face, sharp carnivorous teeth, no nose structure, holes for ears, and shiny scales covering the entire body. The creature greets the girls with a loud, painfully high-pitch shriek.

“Oh my god!” Barbara screams.

“H-holy shit, they’re real!” Hannah stutters out in disbelief.

“Hah! That’s right! I was right! I’m not so dumb anymore, huh?” Akko appeared unusually calm, unlike the rest of the group who were outright panicking.

“That’s the least of our worries now, Akko! We need to do something!” Diana says, grabbing the bamboo raft tightly and scrambling to come up with a solution.

“Don’t worry, guys. Wangari got rid of four of these guys. If we worked together, we can take em’ all down. Right, Wangari?”

Wangari was stupefied and hyperventilating, “Oh crap… oh shit…”

“Wangari?”

“Dude! Stop! I didn’t fight any mermen, okay? And I was talking about more attractive, less terrifying mermen! These guys are ugly as fuck!”

Akko’s eyes widen in horror, “Oh… That means… everything you said was a lie?”

“Yes! Stop asking questions! We have bigger fish to fry here- AHH!”

Everyone yelled as one of the mermen grabbed the rim of the raft and pulled it down. The force almost toppled over the entire raft and turned it upside down.

The brunette was feeling very conflicted, but Wangari was right. They needed to get rid of these beasts fast. She grabbed an oar and used it to shove the mermen. Unfortunately, her plan backfired as one of them gets a hold of the oar and they competed for it like it was tug of war. Thankfully, Akko manages to recover her short-lived weapon. Their interaction sparks an idea in Lotte.

“Use your knives to sharpen the tip of the oars!” Lotte said.

Within seconds, Barbara, Hannah, and Wangari took out their pocket knives and started to scrap the oars to create pointed tips. The new handcrafted weapons were then speedily distributed to the rest as they attempt to stab the creatures. It was working – blood covered the sharp edges of the oars and their screams were audible from underwater. But their efforts were in vain as it wasn’t effective enough to kill the mermen. Additionally, more of them seemed to appear out of nowhere.

“They’re not giving up!” Cried Wangari.

Diana clicks her tongue. She stands up, ties her hair up into a ponytail, and starts rummaging through Barbara’s black sling bag.

“W-what are you doing, Diana?” Barbara stammers.

“We need to make sure they stay dead. The oars aren’t killing them.”

Hannah looks at Diana as if she lost her mind, “You’re going down there?! Are you crazy?! You won’t even be able to see shit in there!”

Diana pulls out a torchlight from the bag, “Now I can.”

“It’s too risky, Diana! There’s gotta be another way!” Akko pleads.

Diana doesn’t look to face her and instead stares down at the sea, “Well, tell me when you’ve found one. Hannah, give me your knife.” Hannah hesitates, but hands her the knife. Diana takes a deep breath, turns on the torchlight and places it in her mouth to free her hands, before plopping into the waters right beside the raft.

“I’m going too!” Akko announces, “She’ll die in there! Give me a knife!”

The brunette didn’t even wait as she snatches the dagger out of Wangari’s hand and proceeds to hold her breath to prepare.

“Akko, wait!” Sucy shouts.

“Don’t try and stop me, Sucy!”

“No, I know you won’t listen anyway.” Sucy sighs and pulls out a torchlight from her own bag, “This will help.”

Akko gives a small smile, “Thanks.” She follows Diana’s actions and makes a big jump.

The raft continues to shake fiercely at times, but lesser than before. The girls didn’t know if that was a good sign or not.

“S-should we continue to stab the mermen with the oars?” Lotte asks.

“We might accidentally stab them instead.” Hannah tightens her lips into a thin line and grits her teeth.

“We can’t just do nothing!” Barbara exclaims.

“Does anyone have more flashlights?” Wangari asks.

Silence fills the air.

“If we can’t see, we’d be fighting blind in there,” Wangari says.

Barbara clenches her fist tightly. She sounds as if she were about to cry, “I know… I-I know but… Diana…”

Hannah places her hand on Barbara’s shoulder, “Hey, Diana’s the toughest of us all. She can handle it. Trust her.” The redhead really wanted to believe what she told her friend, but she was just as terrified.

Lotte holds back from sniffling too. She had only just met Akko and Diana, but they didn’t deserve to end like this. And undoubtedly, Akko was slowly growing on her. Akko is someone she is proud to call a friend.

“Akko had beaten the shit out of Toki.”

“Huh?” Lotte whimpers and faces Sucy.

Sucy stares at her hands, deep in thought, “She is incredibly strong. I’ve seen it. Don’t worry.”

Lotte looks at Sucy with gentle eyes and smiles sadly, “Yeah…”

* * *

Even though her eyes sting uncomfortably from the saltwater, Akko’s first instinct was to look for Diana. Seeing that the torchlight held in her mouth was not shining on any source of life, she spins her head around and blinks rapidly, adjusting to the new environment as she tries to find the blonde. Without warning, Akko is tackled from the back. It felt as if large splinters had punctured her skin near her shoulder blade. She bites the torchlight hard to endure the pain and turns around to find a Merman launching itself towards her at an impeccable speed. The brunette was almost too slow underwater to react. She barely avoids the merman’s sharp claws that were going for her face. Her pupils widen.

Akko counters with a quick kick to its chin and it lands perfectly. The merman was stunned for half a second, which was long enough for Akko to grab it by the neck and insert her blade into the enemy’s skull – rendering it dead. A gush of its blood mixes with the seawater, red diffusing and slowly disappearing into nothing. The victory was brief as another two blurry figures could be seen approaching her fast. She braces herself to dodge any attacks. As they got closer, she could confirm they were mermen. The first one decides to use its right limb to reach for her torso. She swims to the side to avoid it and gives a strong push kick to the creature’s chest, causing the two mermen to crash into each other. They were definitely unhappy about that, and expressed their rage with a familiar shriek that echoes through the ocean.

Knife still in hand, Akko covers her ears instinctually in an attempt to block the sound, _“Oh crap. They’re pissed.”_

The two of them charge at her again, claws seeming to become bigger with every split second. Not so swiftly, Akko swims back but suffers a long scratch across her abdomen. The adrenaline coursing through Akko makes her barely aware of the pain, or red emerging from her wound. She decides to take the initiative to attack this time and swings her blade at a merman. Akko manages to make a clean cut across its face, causing a cry from the creature and making it retreat. At the same time, the other merman also tries to claw her face, but Akko sinks her head quickly and stabs it in the chest. Another cry of pain. She grabs the penetrated knife by the handle tightly with both hands and brings her legs to the creature’s chest to kick the blade out. The merman stops moving.

 _“Good. I must’ve hit something important.”_ Akko thought. She quickly swims to the surface to experience a breath of fresh air flow through her nostrils. She had strayed quite far from the raft, about forty feet give or take. But upon seeing her friends, panic was all Akko could feel – where is Diana?!

“Akko! Have you found Diana?” Hannah shouts from the raft.

Not even taking a moment to reply, Akko submerges herself back into the water in a frantic search for the blonde.

_“Where?! Where could she be?! If they didn’t see her, that means she’s been underwater for about a minute now! And with all that fighting…”_

Akko shook her head and tried to get rid of the bad thoughts. She had to focus. She didn’t know where to start, so she just kept swimming. Looking for any sign of life. Her chest ached in worry, and the feeling only grew with each metre she swam. Her head constantly moving from side to side.

_“Where… where are you, Diana…wait”_

She snaps her head to the left. There! At the corner bottom of her eye, she spots multiple black figures making large movements and a light source. It wasn’t very deep down, but it was still a worrying distance away from the surface. Akko swims with as much speed as she can muster. Soon, she sees four scaly mermen flailing their arms, a bright light, and blond locks of hair floating behind.

_“Get away from her!”_

The mermen feel something approaching, but it was too late for one of them as Akko impales its head. Shocked, the mermen bounce back in surprise, revealing Diana – covered in scratch wounds, but still conscious and holding onto her knife. Diana looked equally surprised, but her features almost immediately soften in relief.

Akko couldn’t be happier to find Diana alive, but it wasn’t time for a heartfelt reunion. The mermen ignore Diana and start attacking Akko instead. Akko dodges, only to be instantly pounced on by another merman, which swung its arm and caused a nasty gash on her arm. She winces and fights through the agony. Akko then waits patiently for another attack. As the previous merman strikes, she uses her kick again to push the merman a distance away. Then, the brunette makes her move and swims toward it. The merman tries to scratch her, but their movements are now predictable.

_“Die ugly bastard!”_

She avoids with ease and slashes her knife through its right ribs, making a huge cut. The creature screams and swims away to the depths of darkness.

 _“Good… wait, where are the other two mermen?”_ Akko shifts her eyes back to where Diana was. Not far, she found a dead merman and…

_“Diana!”_

Diana was being dragged deeper into the ocean. One of the creatures had gripped onto Diana’s left ankle and was pulling her down. Akko’s adrenaline levels spiked as she swims downwards at a speed she never thought she could swim. She managed to catch up. However, when she got close, Diana seemed to already appear unconscious.

_“No!”_

She rushes in, grabs onto Diana’s left leg, and kicks the top of the merman’s head. The merman tilts its head up and frowns at Akko with its array of splinter-like teeth. Letting go of Diana, the brunette swims lower to stab the hideous face in the eye and removes the blade out just as fast. The merman shrieks like the rest and releases Diana, swimming away cowardly.

Not missing a beat, Akko carries Diana and swims upwards at a moderate rate. As much as Akko wanted to simply dash up to the surface, she knew that swimming up too quickly at such a depth might cause even bigger problems.

* * *

At the surface, Akko gasps for air but doesn’t even take time to breathe properly. She’s already surveying the area to spot their raft. When she sees the raft at a distance away from where they were, she curses out loud. Akko grabs under Diana’s arms from behind and swims with her back facing the ocean, paddling with her legs as fast as she can. She’s seen a lifeguard do this before in real life and couldn’t imagine her luck of having observed that. While swimming, Akko uses her finger to check for Diana’s pulse on her neck.

_“It’s faint, but it’s there. But…”_

She puts her index finger under her nostrils.

_“Not breathing… fuck… fuck!”_

“FUCK!” she shouted.

Akko didn’t like swearing. It was just something her parents generally disapproved of and she didn’t really put much thought into it. But it was different now. Akko was so exhausted and so overwhelmed with so many negative thoughts. She didn’t care. Tears filled up her eyes. She knows she can’t give up, and she’s not giving up. But she still feels so helpless. Her mind wanders back to the desert shore where she first started to doubt herself. Telling herself she might end up being the cause of someone else’s death.

“Stupid… STUPID!”

“You’re almost there, Akko!” Akko hears Lotte’s voice, but doesn’t pay much attention.

Eventually, she reaches the raft and yanks Diana on board. Everyone’s expression was filled with shock and concern – even Sucy.

“Oh my god, Diana!” Hannah cries in horror and shakes paled Diana desperately.

“She… not breathing…” Akko barely mutters out as she struggles to get onto the raft and collapses from fatigue. Lotte rushes to Akko's side but Akko waves off the concern weakly with her hand. Barbara checks Diana’s pulse and breath.

“CPR stat!” Barbara hardly had to say anything and Hannah already positions herself to kneel beside Diana’s head, tilting it and lifting her chin before giving her two breaths through her mouth. Barbara kneels beside her chest and observes Diana’s chest rise, then begins a series of chest compressions with her right hand over her left.

“Come on, Diana…” Barbara chokes through a sob. Hannah’s tears fall and drip down her cheeks, but she doesn’t say a word.

The one minute felt like forever as Diana finally coughs out a mouthful of water.

“Oh, thank god,” Hannah said. Her best friends and everyone else were beyond relief.

Diana looks around with tired eyes, realising that everyone is smiling at her. She was so disoriented. So confused. However, none of that mattered when she realised there was one person who wasn’t in her field of vision.

“W-wh…” Diana attempts to speak and move.

“Don’t move.” Barbara demanded, “Just rest. We can talk later.”

“I-is… Akko… o… okay?” Diana struggles.

Hearing her name, Akko nearly springs back on her feet - but she was still too tired to actually do so. She shifts her body closer towards Diana and held her left hand. Diana feebly turns her head to face her.

“I’m okay… you did good.” The brunette smiles weakly. She could feel herself about to cry again. But this time, it was the good kind of crying.

“…Good.” She then plops her head back to the side.

“Akko…” Barbara mumbles out.

“Huh?” Akko replied.

“Thank you.” She smiles. Tear streaks still visible on her face.

“Yeah,” Hannah smiles too. A real genuine smile that Akko had never seen Hannah give before, “Thanks.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay safe! :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I get to write more Diakko moments FINALLY

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Disclaimer* The start of the fic focuses on Diana’s POV when she was drowning and descriptions on how she drowned and reliving her near-death experience. So if you don’t want to read the drowning part you can just skip to the next header.  
> I tried reading more about drowning before writing. I hope I did ok.

_“Akko?”_

Diana didn’t expect anyone to be here. Or even manage to be able to find her in the middle of the vast ocean.

After all the fighting she’s been doing alone, she was close to running out of air. Her muscles were aching. Her stamina was excellent, but she had to push herself in order to take down so many monsters at once. It was like sprinting through a marathon – except she couldn’t breathe. Additionally, swimming wasn’t exactly her forte. Diana could feel herself losing her concentration from the lack of oxygen. It didn’t matter that she was surprised to see Akko. Realising that she had help, Diana was feeling relief more than any other emotion.

_“The mermen… is that what they’re even called?”_

The vile creatures aren’t focusing on Diana anymore. This could be her chance to swim to the surface to catch a breath. But her conscience wouldn’t allow her – she couldn’t leave Akko alone.

_“You can endure a little more, Diana. Just kill this one and swim up immediately.”_

The mermen start swimming towards the brunette. Diana takes the opportunity to get close behind one of them and thrusts the pocket knife into its back. Unexpectedly, it was as if the merman had anticipated Diana’s movements and turned around at once, avoiding the blow. Or perhaps her stab was too sloppy. It was hard to tell when her brain was close to going haywire.

The merman screeches, though not as loud as the kind of screams she had heard from them previously. One of the mermen who was chasing Akko had turned around. Diana realises that they weren’t as unintelligent as she thought.

 _“They can communicate vocally?”_ Worry gets the better of Diana. She decides to swim to the surface to breathe, but the merman charges at her before she could even react. The beast swings its arm. Her entire face was nearly ripped apart from her sluggish movement, leaving two fresh cuts on her left cheek. Not wanting to waste any time, she gives a sidekick to its face near the temple and forces her blade into its neck. The merman flails for a moment and finally succumbs. That fight made Diana more tired than she expected.

She forgot about the other one.

She tilts her head slightly and finds the other merman – just waiting there.

It didn’t move from its original position. It knew Diana was close to drowning and had sacrificed one of its kind to completely exhaust her.

It was waiting for her to die.

She could feel the panic rising in her stomach. Her instincts kick in and she desperately swims up for her life. She pushes her arms out left and right as fast as she can, but something grabs onto her leg and yanks her down with brute strength. Her ankle was wrapped around so tightly it felt like blood stopped flowing to her foot.

_“No… no!”_

Diana doesn’t even look down to see what had grabbed her. She shakes her leg weakly, but to no avail. She didn’t have the energy. Her knife and flashlight float down from her lack of grip, lost in the sea forever - but she didn't care at that point. She only stares up at the dim light passing through the ocean surface and continues to frantically crawl as if there was a wall in front of her. She wished she had never left her house. She wished she gave up on the exam before it started. Her lungs burned. She never wanted to breathe so badly in her life. She could physically feel the pressure building up in her lungs. Her body was giving up. Her lungs were giving out. She needed to breathe. She wants everything to end. How was she still alive when it felt like it was taking forever?

_“I can breathe. I have to.”_

She took a deep breath.

Water fills her lungs. Initially, the pain is excruciating. It was like the weight of the water pulling her entire body down. Her throat, windpipe, nostrils, every inch of those orifices felt stuck, but she can’t cough anything out but bubbles. Diana thought she was going crazy as she feels as though the salty water was traveling to her head, making her head pulse with indescribable heaviness.

_“It hurts. It hurts so much.”_

In despair, she couldn’t help but inhale deeper and began to experience the worst dizzy spell. Her world was starting to spiral… until she doesn’t feel pain anymore. The pain stops. It feels almost numbing. The period of tranquillity sweeps her away.

Diana relates it to… taking a long nap on a cold rainy day.

_“What’s… that…”_

Diana sees a silhouette of… something. It was growing bigger. But nothing mattered anymore. She just wants to sleep. Then, her vision becomes a blur of black spots everywhere. She catches a glimpse of white light. Then, she saw green tea blonde hair, thoughtful eyes, and wrinkles around them that showed years of wisdom.

_“…Mama?”_

* * *

Diana wakes up and immediately pushes herself to sit upright. She gasps for air and places her hands on her throat, breathing irregularly. She swallows saliva. She realises her throat isn’t blocked and she can swallow. Beads of sweat dripping from her forehead to her arms. She flips her head left and right as if in desperate search of something, dazed and confused despite seeing all her friends on the raft.

“Woah woah hey,” A calm, pleasant voice comforts her from behind, “You’re okay, Diana.”

She turns to her left to see a brown-haired girl with an unusual ponytail and an endearing smile plastered on her face.

“A-Akko…” Diana stumbles.

The brunette places a gentle hand on her shoulder, “You’re okay. You’re safe now.”

Emotions overcome Diana and her eyes start to water.

“Oh crap! Are you alright?! Did I something wrong?!” Akko panics.

Diana tries to maintain her composure and unsuccessfully hides her sobs, “No, no. I’m… I’m fine.” She forces a smile towards Akko. Akko’s face creases with worry.

“Are you okay, Diana?” Hearing Lotte’s question makes her turn around. “Do you need some water?” Lotte offers her water bottle with her left hand, holding an oar on her right.

“Yes… thank you…” Diana wipes her eyes with her palms and accepts the blue metal flask. Enjoying the fresh water flow through her dry, parched throat before returning the bottle with another “thank you”. Lotte simply smiles.

Diana manages to control her breathing and calm herself down. Now that she could think straight, she realises that the sun was gradually rising. She mentally calculates that must’ve slept for at least seven hours. In front, she could finally view land – they were close. Her arms were filled with small scratches, which didn't hurt much. Her favourite pair of cargo pants were also littered with cuts. Diana sighs. She can handle some cuts on her arm, but her favourite pants? Unforgivable.

She also observed that Hannah and Barbara were sleeping in the center of the raft beside each other. Wangari was on the left rowing with Akko, who had her windbreaker on again. Sucy and Lotte were paddling on the right. Wangari was looking at her. When their eyes met, Wangari gave a sheepish smile before thinning her lips and continuing her job. Sucy turned back as well, giving Diana a small nod. It seems like they were worried. It was nice to know they cared.

“So…” Akko breaks the short silence, “Do you… want to talk about what happened?”

Diana heaves a sigh and shifts her body to face Akko, but a sharp pain from her ankle causes her to wince and make a strained noise.

“What’s wrong?!” Akko was panicking again.

Diana bites her lips as she endures the pain, “I don’t know. I think my ankle is injured…” The blonde looks at her left ankle and true enough – there was a blue-black injury surrounding her entire ankle from when the merman had anchored her. Albeit a little unattractive, at least it wasn’t deformed.

“Oh, right. Hannah and Barbara told me to inform them right after you wake up to check on your ankle. They put some kind of cream on it and then they said…” Akko makes a sad expression, “They said they don’t know if it’s broken.”

Diana didn’t want to believe it was broken; she wants to continue and get her Hunter License. Either way, she wouldn’t let a broken leg put her down. But it _did_ hurt like hell. She tries to move her ankle. The action made her groan and suck in air through her teeth. She is a bit relieved when she realises she could move it slightly. However, it didn’t mean it was just sprain.

“Is it broken?” Akko inquires.

Diana grimaces, “It’s impossible to tell without an x-ray.”

“Oh…” Akko rubs her palms together nervously, “Should I… wake Hannah and Barbara?”

The blonde shakes her head, “Let them rest. It’s been a long day.” She pauses, then points at Akko’s shirt, “Is your abdomen okay?”

The brunette looked somewhat surprised. As if she had forgotten her own injury, she glances at her stomach. Her shirt had been ripped, so there was a long hole across it. Through the hole, bandages could be seen with small smudges of red plotted around.

“Oh, uh, yeah. Just a flesh wound. Hannah helped me patch it up.”

“Ah, that’s good.”

A moment of silence passes. Diana lets herself indulge in the peace for a while, staring at the sunrise and enjoying the breeze. Yet eventually, she decides that she should clear the air, “Thank you for saving me, Akko.” She looks at the brunette and speaks with a neutral tone. She couldn’t really recall the events that had happened after she blacked out, but she was certain Akko was the only person that could have brought her back. Furthermore, she very barely remembers the short lapse of time right after she was saved. No amount of thinking could jog her memory – she couldn’t even tell if her memories were hallucinations or reality.

Akko gives a short hollow laugh in response to Diana’s thanks, “I’ve been hearing that a few times…” now she genuinely looks upset. The brunette mutters softly, just loud enough for Diana to hear, “I don’t deserve any praise.”

Diana lifts a brow, “What do you mean? You carried me back, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, but I… I could’ve done better. If I was faster. If I wasn’t…” Akko chokes, “If I wasn’t so dumb, you wouldn’t have had to suffer. It was pure luck that I managed to find you. If I swam the other way…” Her fingers clench into a tight fist, white knuckles appearing.

Diana’s gaze softens. She eyes Akko’s hands and notices that Akko wasn’t wearing her half-finger gloves. Weighing her choices, she decides to take hold of Akko’s hand to comfort her. Akko flinches and withdraws. The repulsed action made Diana’s chest ache and immediately regret her decision.

“Sorry…” The blonde apologises, “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

Akko’s eyes widen and she raises her voice a bit too loudly, “No! Not at all!” She hunches lower when she realises everyone else turns to briefly face them, “I mean, I-I don’t mind it. I was just… surprised…”

The tension between them was awkward. Akko wanted to make up for her terrible manners but she hadn’t had the slightest clue what to do. One thing’s for sure – she didn’t want Diana to think she was grossed out by her. Without thinking through, Akko places her right hand on Diana’s left hand, which was resting on her thigh. The sudden motion made Diana stare at her wide eyed, blinking in confusion, only to find Akko snapping her head away to face the sea. Akko’s cheeks turn a tinge of pink. She grips Diana’s hand a little tighter. Time slows. The sight of Akko under the glow of the morning sun causes Diana’s face to heat up. Akko’s palm on her hand, Akko’s shy and endearing behaviour – all of it makes her stomach flutter with excitement. Diana unintentionally bites her lip.

The blonde looks down at Akko’s hand and smiles. Hesitantly, she places her other hand on top of Akko’s. The touch makes Akko turn back, pupils immediately resting on clear blue eyes and a radiant, breath-taking smile. Her breath hitches. Akko knew that they had just met and it could very well just be infatuation. But seeing how the blonde handled herself; how incredibly strong, yet vulnerable she could be. How stern, yet kind her actions were. She wanted to know more than just a pretty face. Akko swallows the lump in her throat – she was falling down a rabbit hole.

Diana looks down through the gaps of the raft. She takes a deep breath, and speaks, “You’re not dumb, Akko. You went into the ocean and protected your friends. You got rid of the creatures. You never gave up on me when I was feeling helpless.” Diana appeared upset for a moment, “You did all that. No one could’ve asked you to risk your life like that but yourself. You may be reckless, but you’re also are incredibly kind and brave. You’re perfect the way you are.” She meets the brunette’s eyes again with a tender smile, subconsciously stroking her hand with her thumb.

Akko’s heart skipped a few beats as she listened to Diana’s compliments, coupled with the way her delicate fingers felt on her coarse, labour-worked hands. It felt like her skin was on fire. Akko gulps and pulls back her lingering gaze to avoid eye contact, “You’re being way too nice to me. You did most of that! And you’re basically perfect!”

Diana giggles. It was the most adorable thing Akko had ever heard.

“I’m far from perfect. Trust me.”

Akko smiles incredibly widely; yet it was such a genuine expression of happiness, “But you’re perfect the way you are too.” She meant every word and more. And Diana could see it.

The blonde stares at the doe-eyed brunette and blushes furiously, unaware of the impact of her words. The same words she used to describe Akko. Words she didn’t know would make her feel like such a mess of emotions. Diana is suddenly aware of the too-close-for-comfort proximity between them – they had been inching closer to each other without realising. Her chest tightens. The bubbling feelings were a foreign concept to her.

“I…” Diana pulls her hands away. Akko lets the disappointment show on her face, “Sorry…”

Diana didn’t know how to respond. She didn’t understand what she was feeling. She doesn’t know why she’s apologising. She doesn’t know why she already misses the warmth of Akko’s hands and why it’s all she could think about.

“It’s alright,” Akko continues to put on a smile and tries to change the subject, “By the way, I don’t think you noticed, but you have a wound on your face. Your friends patched it up for you though.”

Diana touches both her cheeks and feels a soft band-aid on her left. She didn’t really care for a minor wound. A particular word left ringing in her ears caught her attention instead.

 _“Friends…”_ Diana ponders for a while, hand still grazing her wound patch, _“… Are Akko and I… friends?”_

Akko cocks her head to the side, “Are you that upset about a wound ruining your face?”

Diana blinks in surprise, “Oh, no.” She gives an easy answer while her mind was still dancing around the idea of being friends with Akko, “I couldn’t care less if it scarred.”

The brunette’s mouth gaped, “But it’d be such a shame to taint your pretty face… I-I mean! Not saying that you’re pretty but I mean! You _are_ pretty but…” She stutters and struggles between saving herself from being exposed and not insulting the blonde, “I mean… you should take care of yourself more! But I’m not saying you won’t be pretty with a scar; scars are cool! Even if you had a _hundred_ scars, I still think you’d be pretty! I mean!” Akko slaps her head with her hands and covers her face in embarrassment.

 _“What am I saying. Just kill me.”_ She groans loudly.

Diana looks at the flustered girl and chuckles, “Yes, I indeed see what you mean.” Diana couldn’t help but blush slightly from the compliment. It was a compliment, right?

Akko, face still buried in her palms, gives a muffled response, “Stop. Stop. Don’t say anything.”

Diana laughs again. But her contemplative expression returns shortly after. Even though Diana thought it might not have been the best time to bring it up now, the question was picking at her brain.

“Akko,” Diana looks at Akko with a very serious expression.

“Oh, no. Please don’t make fun of me anymore.”

“No… I just wanted to ask you a question.”

Akko looks at Diana’s worrying appearance her through her fingers and drops her hands, “Oh, yeah sure. You can ask me anything.”

“Do you… are we… we’re friends right?”

Akko stares at Diana’s overly serious face, and couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

“W-wha… What’s so funny?!” Diana’s cheeks turn bright red partially due to anger, but mostly from embarrassment. It was as if it were her turn to feel humiliated.

Akko tries to control her laugh, but fails miserably after seeing her face again. “You…” she puts a hand over her gut, “Why do you look so serious about that? It’s hilarious!”

The blonde was turning into a darker shade of red. Somehow, she maintains a calm tone of voice, “Well, fine. I guess since you avoided the question. We’re technically not friends.” Diana crosses her arms. It was childish, but it had hurt her to say that out loud.

The brunette stops laughing and is now, somehow, more serious than Diana, “What?! We’re not friends?!”

Diana pouts. Diana actually pouts. Akko wants to engrave the image into her mind. “I don’t know… you never… Do you want to be friends?”

Akko nodded so hard her head hurt, “O-of course I want to be friends! I thought we were!” Was she wrong? Did non-friends hold hands and give each other heartfelt compliments? Wait… do normal friends hold hands?

The duo was so engrossed in their conversations that they never stopped to think that everyone, apart from their two sleeping friends, could hear them – loud and clear. Hannah and Barbara occasionally moved about from the ruckus but remained unconscious throughout. Lotte was especially pleased with their development, even almost squealing by accident a few times. Wangari had thought they were a couple the whole time and was shocked to hear that they didn't even establish a friendship.

Sucy just groans, “Useless, bloody lesbians.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm probably not going to update for a while so I wrote this chapter before I had no more time. I'm sorry D:


End file.
